Pirates, Ladies, Curses, and the Black Pearl
by PirateBlacksmith
Summary: AU. If one event changed, the whole story changes as well. Instead of the ship bound for Port Royal finding Will, what if a smuggling ship with Jack Sparrow aboard did instead? Completed.
1. Changing the Story

_A/N: Inspired by watching The Butterfly Effect. If one moment had changed, how would the rest of the story be affected?_  
  
The early morning fog lay thick over the ocean waters, making it impossible to see anything ahead of them. Not even the man up in the crow's nest could warn them of impending danger. It was also quite silent. Most of the men were still in the forecastle drinking off the night's events while the meager watch that had been assigned prowled the deck, just waiting for something to happen, and growing bored as nothing did. They were used to having to outrun the British Navy before they could be boarded and their cargo exposed. They weren't pirates; most of them did not have the bravery to be. They were simple smugglers and specialized mostly in bringing rum to the Caribbean.  
  
Of course, that didn't mean that they weren't all pirates. A man stood alone at the rail of the ship. His dark eyes were focused intently into the fog as if he could see beyond it, searching for something that lie just beyond his grasp. Dark hair hung around his face in dreadlocks, some entwined with beads that were mementos of places he had been and things he had done. The dark overcoat was pulled tightly around him, his hands shoved in the pockets to fight off the early morning chill. Most of the men were avoiding him purely for the look on his face, however. Jack Sparrow was far from happy.  
  
It had been a few years since Barbossa had convinced the crew to mutiny against him and throw him overboard to that dn little island. He had known it was coming. William had told him off the rumblings Barbossa had been stirring up and Jack had disregarded it. He knew his first mate was a temperamental man and disloyal at that, but the only other man he had thought of for the job spent a few of the voyages at home to be with his son. He had never thought that his crew would actually do what they did. When the time had come, he'd told William not to interfere. He had a family to see to and couldn't do that if he was stuck on an island with him. So when the moment came, William had stood quietly at the back of the crowd against his better judgment while Jack had been forced off the plank into the water.  
  
A fist slammed down on the railing in anger, making the man passing behind him jump and start walking faster. This was what he was reduced to now. Chasing his ship around the Caribbean with one shot in his pistol saved for one man. The only other protection he had with him was the sword at his waist and the knife in his boot. But the pistol was for Barbossa when he found him. The one shot that they had marooned Jack on that island with for three days would be the death of the traitor. A small part of him wondered if it would be possible though.  
  
Jack had heard many things in his quest to find the Pearl, questioning dockworkers, sailors, tavern keepers, and regular tavern patrons. Many of them said the same thing. The crew of the Pearl had gotten a little odd as of late. Not many wanted to be around them when they came into port anymore. They acted different, almost demonically. One old man even went as far as to claim that they were possessed by the demons that prowled the sea. He stuck with his story even after Jack had waved the pistol in his face, trying to get more from him. All his inquiries about his best friend were met with the same answer, however. William was gone from the crew, sent to his fate at the bottom of the sea for betraying the captain.  
  
Now he was chasing down the Pearl. When he could he stole passage on passenger and merchant ships, keeping to the hold among the cargo. There were rare times when he could call in a favor from old friends as well, like he had done this time around. Jack had spared the man's life during a raid of his ship and had even dropped him off at a nearby, well populated port when the man did not take the offer to join Jack's crew. He had run into the man and decided it was time to call in the favor. Captain Jameson of the Pride of the Sea had reluctantly agreed to take Jack on board for the journey to the destination port. The best thing about the trip was that Jack had been able to drown his misery in all the rum his body could handle, just by lifting it from the cargo bay.  
  
"Captain! Look at this!" The watchman's cry suddenly filled the air and Jack looked up to see him pointing frantically towards the port bow. Jack's curiosity was piqued and he made his way up to the bow and leaned over the railing on the port side. His heartbeat sped up as he found himself looking at the flaming wreckage of what had once been a ship. Dead men floated in the water surrounding the flaming boards and floating barrels. He knew what had done this all too well.  
  
He knew who had done this.  
  
He also knew he was on the right path. Jack allowed himself a small smile, realizing that he was drawing closer to his beloved Black Pearl if the damage was any indication. More men were appearing from the forecastle, looking out over the rails at the damage that had been done.  
  
"Forward on the Port Beam! Forward on the Port Beam!" The watchman's cries rang out again and Jack noticed a hint of fear in his voice. The men all looked towards the direction that the frightened man was shouting. The sight made Jack's smile grow while the men around him stared in shock, whispering among themselves or making the cross, praying.  
  
"It's a ghost ship." The man beside him said so quietly Jack wondered if he was breathing properly. The ship leaving the wreckage behind could be mistaken for a ghost ship. The dense fog that had caused them so much trouble seemed to cling and caress the ship like a lover. He could see no sign of light aboard. The torn, black sails flapped in the breeze, and above them the Jolly Roger announced to the world that this ship was indeed that of pirates.  
  
"It's not a ghost ship." Jack told him, for the moment happy. "It's the Pearl." There was a certain fire in his eyes as he said it, grinning and giving the man a slight flash of silver and gold. He was close to her now. Perhaps he would not get to her at this moment, but he knew that he was drawing near. Soon he would have his vengeance and his ship back, restoring his name and reputation around the Caribbean. "They're heading south." He muttered, more to himself than anyone, and wished he had a map. Perhaps he would 'borrow' one later.  
  
"Man overboard!" The man next to Jack suddenly shouted. The pirate jumped, having been lost in is own thoughts and gave the man a dirty look. The sailor quailed under the look for a moment before pointing towards the lost soul so that his mates could see. There was a sudden burst of action on deck, sailors running to grab ropes to attempt a rescue. Jack found himself being knocked back and forth and his dark mood returned. He would never be treated like this on his bloody ship. At least the position of captain demanded some respect. He pulled himself from the crowd and sat down on the stairs leading up to the quarterdeck. The man must have been extremely lucky to survive the attack and not to meet any sharks afterwards.  
  
The lines were thrown over the side and two men climbed down over the rail. A few moments later they reappeared, one carrying a small body over his arm. A few of the men rushed to help him, grabbing the child and laying him on a blanket on the deck while the others helped the sailors back over.  
  
"Not more than a boy." Jack said idly, looking down at the child. "How does a cabin boy only survive that attack when there were so many other experienced sailors on board?" He mused. A few looked in his direction, unsure expressions on their faces. He continued to idly play the coin through his fingers, letting them go about their work. A child was beneath his concern. He just wanted them to hurry up and get to port so he could find another ship heading in the direction of the Pearl.  
  
"Ship ho!" The watchman in the crow's nest piped up again. Jack looked upwards at him, an annoyed expression on his face. How much more would happen this morning? He was already delayed as it was by the dnable ship and now this. But to his surprise, Jameson was shouting orders for his crew to get away before the other ship reached them. Jack grabbed a man running by, stopping him in his tracks.  
  
"What's goin' on?" The man looked down at Jack's hand then back at his face. Most of the men, despite being smugglers, had no love in their hearts for pirates and Jack assumed this man to be one of them.  
  
"Navy ship headed this way." He said shortly, pulling his arm from Jack's grasp and continuing onto whatever duty he had in mind. Jack felt a little uneasy at that revelation. If they were caught, he would most certainly hang while the smugglers would get a sentence in jail. But from the appearance on deck, it looked as if he wouldn't need to worry. Sails were being luffed to catch as much wind as possible and he felt the ship beneath him become just a little faster.  
  
In the controlled chaos of it all, the boy had been forgotten, lying on a blanket on the deck. Curiosity got the best of the pirate captain and he wandered over, looking down at the boy. There was something very familiar about him, almost as if Jack knew him. He crouched down, spotting a glint of something gold. He picked up the chain lightly and pulled so that he could see what was hidden of it beneath the child's collar. It was a golden Aztec coin, a heathen skull crafted into it over another inlayed pattern. Jack looked down at the child, eyes narrowing slightly. Why would a child have such a piece as this?

Suddenly the boy's eyes shot open and he grabbed Jack's wrist. The pirate dropped the coin at the sudden movement and stared down at the boy. He was frightened, his chest heaving as he struggled to calm his breathing. Dark eyes widened in fear as he saw Jack staring back at him, but he never released his grip. "You...you...you're a p-p-pira..." He was unable to get the full word out, stuttering too badly from the cold and fear.  
  
"What's your name, boy?" Jack asked as he lifted his chin slightly and looked down to regard him. The boy stared at him again, looking unsure if he should answer.  
  
"W-W-Will T-T-urn-rner." He blurted out, shaking. Jack stared at the boy, unbelieving for a moment of what he had heard. But there was enough proof when he looked at it again. With a face to compare him to, the boy did very much resemble his old friend, and there was the gold pirates medallion hanging around the boy's neck.  
  
"Were you named after your father?" Jack asked. "Was your father named William Turner?" The boy nodded, his breathing starting to slow down and return to normal. The boy's eyelids started to droop in exhaustion, no matter how hard he fought to keep them open. A moment later he sunk back to the deck in a deep sleep, exhausted. Jack stared down at him for a moment before getting to his feet.  
  
Jameson had been standing nearby, watching the whole thing. Jack eyed him before walking over. "How goes the situation with the Navy ship?" He asked.  
  
"We got away before they could spot us. This cursed fog was a savior this morning." Jameson said, looking past Jack towards Will. "You know that boy?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Aye, I do. Son of Bootstrap Turner." Jameson raised an eyebrow, obviously remembering the man. "When I get off at the next port, I'm taking the lad with me." Jack told him. Jameson looked to him.  
  
"Take the boy? What are you going to do, Jack? Turn him into a pirate?" Jameson chuckled. "Trying to rebuild your crew with a new generation?" Jack didn't find it as amusing as he did and turned to give him a dark look. Jameson clamped his mouth shut.  
  
"The boy is my best friend's son." He repeated, this time slower as if the captain was a dumb child. "So I will be taking him with me when I leave."  
  
The captain nodded, not wanting to make Jack angry again. "As you wish, captain." He responded wearily.  
  
-----------------  
  
Jack stood on the street, looking around at the small port Jameson had dropped him off in. The smuggler had been all too happy to drop Jack off at the nearest port before continuing on to his destination. The pirate was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have worded it better.  
  
Jameson had dropped him off in Isabella on the north coast of Hispaniola. From the looks of it, the town named in honor of the Spanish Queen had never really flourished. The government and the Captaincy-General obviously forgot it every year. The poor wandered the streets, begging for food. Those lucky enough to have homes lived in rickety huts just on the outside of town. Most of the population was extremely poor, so it was easy enough for Jack to pick out the merchants that had chosen this town to take a rest in. He had once heard that the bigger the merchantman around the middle, the wealthier he was and the more power he owned. Jack was going to test that theory.  
  
He turned and crouched in front of the twelve-year-old boy, who was watching him with unhidden curiosity. Once again Jack was struck by how much Will resembled his father. In one smooth motion, Jack pulled the knife from his boot and held it out to Will on his palm. "That, lad, is a thief's best tool." He said and pointed to the blade. "You always want to scrub it with somethin' rough first. Takes the shine out of it so it won't reflect in the candlelight and give you away." The boy nodded, listening as if Jack were his teacher. "You don't want to keep it out in the open where they'll see it right away either." He flipped the knife up and caught the handle. Grabbing Will's shirtsleeve, he unrolled it so that it went down to his wrist again and slid it up the boy's sleeve. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the rather larger merchantman he'd had his eye on was still there.  
  
Will looked rather unsure of himself, shifting from foot to foot. Jack gave him a stern look before continuing on. "Now, the next part requires a little bit of actin' on your part. You need to get in close enough to him to cut the strings that tie his purse to his belt, savvy?" Will nodded and pointed past him.  
  
"Like her?" He asked. Jack got to his feet, spinning around. There was indeed a young woman hanging on the merchant's arm now. He seemed pleased with this new woman and she hung on his shoulder, giggling. Jack seethed, clenching his fists. That was his target. He'd picked that man out specifically. With a practiced eye, he watched as the dark skinned beauty leaned against the merchant and whispered in his ear while removing the knife from the bodice of her dress in a quick, hidden movement. The sharp blade slipped through the purse strings and dropped into her other hand. She tucked it in the back of her skirt and pulled away. The merchant tried to lean forward for a quick kiss, but she put a finger on his lips and backed away a few steps. The next thing he knew, she was running and he was missing a purse. His outraged bellows echoed in the street.  
  
Jack grabbed Will's arm and yanked him out of the alleyway, heading down the street towards the tavern. "We'll just have to find ourselves a different target." He was still angry that that woman had taken what was his. He'd searched long and hard to find the biggest purse that he could.  
  
Stopping, he turned to Will again and pointed to the well-dressed woman standing in the streets. "She was with the man we just saw. If anything, she'll have a few coins in her purse to, aye?" He asked. Will nodded. "Good, then go to it. You saw how she did it. Just stay calm." Will took a deep breath and checked the blade in his sleeve before starting down the street towards the woman. Jack ducked into the shadows, watching carefully.  
  
The young woman noticed his approach and smiled at the young boy. Will gave her a small smile back. "Good evening, ma'am." He said, waving at her. She laughed and waved as well.  
  
"Good evening to you as well, young sir. How fare you this evening?" She believed him to be one of the many poor peasant children that ran all over the town, finding him amusing. Even at twelve years of age, Will found it slightly insulting. But he kept the smile and approached her.  
  
"I would fare better if I could find my father. I believe him to be in this tavern drinking away his wages, but the keeper had taken a disliking to children. Beats them proper if he sees one enter." He looked up at her sadly. "Ma'am, would you look through the window and tell me if he's there? He's quite tall, with hair like the night and a scar under his right eye." Will had to put his trembling hands behind his back and worked to keep the nervous tremor out of his voice. The woman mistook it to be sadness and nodded slowly.  
  
"I will." She said and turned towards the window, peering inside. As she did so, Will pulled the knife from his shift sleeve, but he could see no purse strings to cut but the ones around her wrist. Without thinking about it, he did as Jack had taught him. The blade cut through the strings easily and dropped into his hand. What he hadn't counted on was her noticing the sudden change in weight. The woman whirled around and spotted her pursed strings cut through and then him. "Thief!" She shrieked loudly. "Give me my purse, you little thief." She started towards him, but he didn't wait for her to reach him and took off running.  
  
Jack cursed, stepping out of the shadows and made his way down the street as casually as possible. A few men in the tavern had been roused by her shrieks and came outside. Crying hysterically, she pointed them in the direction that Will had run and they took off. The boy was as good as dead if they found him. Once he was out of view of the tavern, Jack broke into a run, hoping to catch the boy before they did.  
  
Suddenly a slender arm reached out of the shadows and grabbed his arm, tugging him into the alleyway. He had no choice but to follow, caught off guard. Whirling around to face the person who had grabbed him, he stopped short with an angry expression on his face. "You wench..." He snapped. His response was a slap across the face.  
  
"Call me a wench again and this boy will be the only child you'll ever have." The thief hissed at him, yanking him farther into the alley. He could see Will sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to his chest and a frightened expression on his face. The purse sat on the ground beside him.  
  
"He's not mine. Son of a friend." Jack shot back at her, rubbing the side of his face. The woman smiled at him.  
  
"So if I cut it off now, you'll never be able to reproduce and I'd be doing the world a favor." She said easily. He gave her a dark look but she easily brushed it off. "Better be more careful with this one next time. Almost got caught." She knelt down beside Will and pushed a dark lock away from his face.  
  
"It's his first time." Jack muttered and made a move to pull her away from the boy. "Don't baby him either." As he reached towards her wrist she raised her hand as if she would slap him again.

"I'd rethink that movement, sir." She told him and turned back to Will. "I'm not babying him, simply soothing his nerves. A good thief needs strong nerves." She looked back at Jack. He guessed that she couldn't be anymore than eighteen by the looks of her. "Or a pirate, if I'm guessing correctly." She looked him over and nodded before turning back to Will. "My name is Anamaria. What's yours?"  
  
He didn't look at her, just continued staring at the alley floor. "Will." He answered. Jack snatched the purse from the ground and opened it, sifting through the coins. Not at all bad for missing out on the first purse.  
  
Ana laid a hand on Will's shoulder. "Don't worry. You did well for your first time, Will. I'm sure you will be very good once you learn to think on your feet and make decisions quickly." She got to her feet and ruffled his hair before turning back to Jack. "And you need to get the boy to develop trust in you. It comes in handy a long the way." She said, straightening his lapels and laying her hands on his chest. He felt the urge to slap the hands away, but couldn't bring himself to do it. "And while we're at it, why don't you tell me your name?"  
  
"Jack." He answered simply, not about to give her anything else. She narrowed her eyes slightly, nodding.  
  
"You look like a Jack." She told him before surprising him completely by leaning forward and giving him a kiss. "Not bad." She winked at him before looking at Will over her shoulder. "Keep at it. In time you will be a great thief." She promised. With that said she brushed by Jack, giving him a quick pat on the behind as she sauntered out of the alley. Jack growled and shot a withering glare over his shoulder, but she was already gone.  
  
Will got to his feet, brushing off his clothes. "I'm sorry." He said quietly, not looking up at Jack.  
  
"It's ok. Least you got away. My first time I spent the night in the stocks." He rubbed his neck and put a hand on the boy's back. "Let's get out of here. We have more than enough to buy pass..." He trailed off as his hand patted the pocket where the purse had been. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists.  
  
"I hate that bloody woman!"


	2. A Plan Made

The Faithful Bride Tavern was one of the more popular places on Tortuga. Some of the best wenches prowled the area, the rooms and ale were cheap, and there were no questions asked. A fight was always in progress for one reason or another. In other words, it was a tavern with a lot of atmosphere and Jack's favorite.  
  
The pirate emerged from the room upstairs, stretching his arms over his head. His vest was still unbuttoned and shirt still untucked, dark hair framing his face. A moment later, Scarlet slunk out of the room and wrapped her arms around Jack's waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. Although the gesture looked romantic to anyone who passed by, it was anything but and it became apparent a moment later. Scarlet stuck her hand in the front pockets of his pants and started rooting around.  
  
"Where's my money?" She demanded, pulling her hands out and thrusting them into the pockets of his vest. Jack sighed and grabbed her hands, yanking them out. He wished Giselle had been available. Scarlet was all business despite her feistiness and demanded money as soon as the deed was done. She wasn't the type to snuggle or let him sleep for that matter. "Don't tell me you don't have any again. You're a bloody pirate, aren't you supposed to be rich?" She yanked her hands away from him and placed them on her hips for a moment before one hand reached up and adjusted the sheet wrapped around her as it began to slip down.  
  
"Luv, I'll get you your money. Just let me find the boy. It's with him." Jack held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Promise I won't go far. He's probably just downstairs." He backed away from her, not feeling like turning his back on her at the moment. She made a small sound of displeasure and folded her arms across her chest, watching him. After he had made it halfway down, he turned and jumped down the rest of the steps and into the tavern. It was still smoky and there were more than a few men passed out or unconscious on the floor. Fredrick Hammond, the tavern keeper, was quietly drying mugs. He nodded to Jack as the pirate passed by towards the fireplace. Last night there had been a roaring fire there, but now it was simply a pile of smoldering ashes.  
  
Will was curled up in one of the chairs, fast asleep. A book lay on the ground in front of the chair, where it had apparently fallen from the boy's lap. One leg hung over the arm of the chair while the other was tucked beneath him. His arms lay across his stomach and his head lay up against the back of the chair. However his sleeping didn't stop Jack from searching for his money bag. The pirate started searching through the pockets of Will's coat, jostling the younger man. Groggily he lifted his head, squinting at Jack and pushing the dark hair back from his face.  
  
"What are you doing?" He said, his words slurring slightly in his half awake state. Jack didn't answer, just pulled a few coins from Will's pocket, counted out enough to pay Scarlet and threw the rest back to him. Will jumped and snatched the small bag before the coins spilled out onto the floor. "Could've just asked." He grumbled, stuffing it back into his pocket. Jack shrugged and headed back up the stairs. Scarlet was still waiting and glowered at him as he came back up the steps.  
  
"Took you long enough." She told him, holding out a hand demandingly. He dropped the coins in her hand one by one slowly, drawing out her agony and amusing himself. As soon as the last coin hit her palm, her demeanor immediately changed and she kissed him full on the lips. Her hand slipped into his pants once more for a moment before she withdrew. "Been nice doing business, Captain Sparrow." She whispered breathily in his ear before going back into the room and slamming the door shut. He waited a few moments before the door opened and the rest of his belongings were flung out into the hallway and the door slammed shut again.  
  
"Wenches." He grumbled, picking up his things and headed back downstairs. "'Ey, Fredrick! How about a bite to eat, mate?" He called out over the tavern. A few men stirred at his voice and then lay still again. One actually was conscious long enough to mutter a curse in his direction. Fredrick tossed the rag he'd been drying with over his shoulder and leaned against the bar.  
  
"Depends on what you're fixin' to bite on." He said with a smirk. "Got me a few slabs of bacon and some eggs if that tickles your fancy." Jack nodded and made his way over to a table, setting his coat, weapons, and belt on the table top before pulling out a chair. As he did so, a hand tumbled from out underneath the table. Jack bent down to see who had taken up residence under the table and get rid of the squatter. When he saw who it was, however, he stopped and smirked.  
  
With the toe of his boot, he nudged Joshamee Gibbs. He was gentle at first, but after realizing that gentle wasn't going to cut it, he started nudging harder and harder until he launched a full blown kick at the drunken pirate. Gibbs fell out from under the other side of the table, blinking in disorientation and clutching his flask to his chest as if he were drowning at sea and the flask was some floating object that would save his life. Jack leaned over the table with an amused look on his face. "Good mornin' to ye." He said. Gibbs turned his head towards the voice, blinking.  
  
"Jack! Just the man I was lookin' for!" The ex-navy sailor exclaimed and scrambled to his feet. Jack blinked and stood back.  
  
"How hard were you looking?" He asked, sounding amused. It was more likely Gibbs had looked for him for all of a half an hour before giving up and drinking himself into a stupor.  
  
Gibbs nodded and sat down. "Aye, thought ye might want to hear about this. It's concernin' the Pearl." At the sound of the name of his beloved ship that still eluded his grasp, Jack was in the seat across from Gibbs and leaning against the table, ready to listen. For years he had been trying to find the Pearl and failing. He was growing closer, but he still hadn't worked out just how he was going to take it over once again short of killing Barbossa. He hoped that that alone would work for him.  
  
Gibbs realized he had Jack's attention and started talking. "There were a few men at the docks last night, talkin' about her. Said the crew ran across somethin'..." He looked around as if someone were watching before looking back to Jack. "Cursed. That's why they've been actin' so oddly."  
  
Jack snorted. "I think it's time you laid off the ale, old friend. It's obviously not doing your mind a favor. There's no such things as curses." He'd heard tales of many curses during his time at sea and not a one had turned out to be true. Most were from the mind of delirious sailors out at sea too long.  
  
"Aye, but captain, these men seen the curse. In the moonlight yer old crew turns to nothin' but bones and pieces of skin and cloth." He protested, trying to wipe the amused smirk of Jack's face. He knew his last bit of information would do just that anyway. "And they're lookin' for a Turner." The smile disappeared from Jack's face and he looked into Gibbs's face intently, trying to discern if he was making this up or believed he was telling a truth.  
  
"Why would they be lookin' for him?" Jack asked, lowering his voice. Gibbs leaned forward.  
  
"The curse can only be broken by his blood, or so it's said." Gibbs said quietly. "Somethin' about golden coins. Apparently an old friend of yours shipped one off to his son which condemned the crew to its fate." Jack looked towards the chair Will was asleep in, rubbing his beard before looking back to Gibbs. William must have sent something to his son before he was caught if the tale was true, which would make the younger man a big target now.  
  
"This could be just the break I'm lookin' for." He murmured, an eyebrow rising. There were very few souls that knew Will's last name and it would work in Jack's favor, help him bargain. Gibbs backed off, leaning against the back of his chair and clearing his throat. Jack looked over at him, one arm in the air to flag Fredrick to bring two drinks to the table. "What now?"  
  
"I have heard of something that could help you bargain for yer ship." Gibbs said. "In five days there's goin' to be a masquerade at the governor's house in Port Royal for many of England's important people. Pirates are plannin' to steer clear of the ships because of the escort by the Navy, which leaves it wide open for ye." Jack stared at him, hoping he would reach his point. "A diamond necklace, one of the most valuable in the world, will be around the neck of one of the ladies attending this event. If ye can get yer hands on it, ye'll have a pricy chip to be throwin' down on the table. Even Barbossa can't say no to that."  
  
Jack grinned, thinking over what Gibbs had just said. A diamond like that would make a powerful bargaining tool or just make him filthy rich. At the moment, he wasn't sure if Barbossa would take the necklace when he had to deal with a curse instead. That didn't mean he couldn't take it for himself. It had been a long time since he had stolen something of that value and it would do him good to take on the challenge. If anyone could find a way into the mansion and steal the necklace from this woman's neck, it would be Jack. When he wanted to, he was quite good at blending in with the crowd. He wouldn't even be put behind in tracking the Pearl, having no idea where the ship was at the moment anyways, not to mention the fact that he could perhaps find himself a ship to 'borrow' there from out under the Navy's collective noses. It would make the trip that much easier if he didn't need to keep bartering passage or sneaking on a ship.

"I'm thinkin' I like the idea." Jack said. Over by the fireplace, Will got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head. Since Jack had taken the young lad into his care, he'd grown tall, even a few inches taller than Jack himself. Unlike his father however, he was lanky in build; Bill had been a bit more muscular. Dark hair hung in his eyes before he pulled it back and secured it with a worn red ribbon. Jack motioned him over. "Breakfast is on its way as soon as that lazy dog decides to bring it." He called.  
  
"That's not the same boy who was followin' you like a puppy the last time I saw ye, is it?" Gibbs asked. Jack nodded.  
  
"Don't let him fool you. Takes after the man who taught him. Talented with a blade and quick of hand. I wouldn't have the slightest idea who he learned that from." He said, wiggling the fingers on one hand and smirking. Gibbs still looked dubious as Will slid into the seat, rubbing his eyes sleepily and yawning.  
  
"What do you think about going to Port Royal?" Jack asked him. Fredrick finally brought the two mugs of ale over and Jack sent him away to get a third. The pirate ran his finger around the rim of his mug as he stared at the younger pirate. "Well?"  
  
Will's nose wrinkled up in distaste. "Isn't that port overrun with the British Navy?" He asked, making it clear that he didn't like the sound of it. Jack nodded and held up a finger.  
  
"But it will also be the one place where we will have a chance to steal a very valuable necklace." He said and took a sip of ale. "If things go right, we'll get that necklace and get away without our heads in the noose."  
  
Will shrugged, taking the mug of ale as Fredrick brought it over. "If you say so." He muttered before taking a sip of ale.  
  
"Then it's settled!" Jack said triumphantly. "After breakfast, we'll head for Port Royal."  
  
------------------  
  
The opportunity was too perfect for Jack to resist and the pirate had taken it without a second thought. As they had been asking around for ships headed towards Port Royal, Jack had spotted none other than Anamaria. The woman who had stolen from him eight years ago was pulling up to the dock in a small boat. He ducked behind a crate and watched as she tied up the boat and headed up the dock towards the street. A grin crossed his face and he waited until she had disappeared inside one of the taverns before dashing out to the dock. He grabbed Will from a conversation with one of the captains and he dragged him towards the boat.  
  
"Come on, I found our boat to Port Royal." Will followed after him, really having no other choice. Jack shoved him into the boat and hopped in after, yanking the rope from the deck and working on raising the single sail. Will narrowed his eyes slightly. The ship was big enough for three, maybe four men to sit comfortably and looked little more than a crudely crafted child's toy.  
  
"Let me guess. This is borrowed?" He asked, picking up an oar. Jack smirked and tightened the line to the sail. The wind caught it and gave them a slight push. "Of course it would be." He said with an amused look.  
  
After they had navigated the ship out of the small bay and pointed it in the direction they needed, making necessary adjustments, Jack settled down on the seat across from Will, laying back against the bow, pulling his hat over his eyes, and resting his arms underneath his head. A moment later Will pulled off his coat and laid it on the seat beside him, pulling out the small book he had been reading earlier and flipped it open to the marked page.  
  
--------------------  
  
"This is bloody brilliant." Will muttered and snatched up the bucket that had been sitting beside the lonely sail. At some point during the night the boat had sprung a leak and the bottom was covered with a layer of water. Both pirates had been unable to find the source of the leak and even if they had found it, they weren't quite sure if they had anything to repair it with.  
  
Jack swore and Will bailed water, but as the day went on, the boat sunk deeper into the ocean, barely able to keep floating much longer. There was only one bucket and that duty went to the boy while Jack started chucking unnecessary items overboard. The first thing to go was a bag with Anamaria's clothes in it that had been carefully stowed under one of the bench seats. Jack was almost gleeful as he dug a few objects of value out and chucked it into the water. The rations of food and clean water went next, as they were close enough to Port Royal now that they didn't need them. He was hoping that the boat would make it to land so that they could repair it, a backup in case they were unable to 'borrow' a ship. The longer there was weight to hold it down, the more unlikely that scenario became. Soon enough the only things that were left were Jack, Will, and the bucket, and the ship was still sinking quicker than he wanted it to. Jack looked between the bucket and the young pirate, a thoughtful expression on his face.  
  
Jack stood onboard the little boat, bucket hanging from his hand. Will resurfaced, coughing up water and glaring up at him through his wet hair. "You're a strong swimmer. You'll be there before I am most likely." Jack told him. "Don't say I didn't teach you how to escape a sinking boat." With that he went back to scooping the water out of the boat. Will swore quietly under his breath and turned towards the shoreline. Jack knew no harm would come to Will. They had entered the bay by that time and it was a short swim to land. It wasn't as if there were any qualities about the boy that singled him out as a pirate either.  
  
Despite the loss of weight, the boat was sinking faster still. Jack assumed that the leak had started out in one of the seams. He continued dumping buckets of water over the side, but soon enough it was up to his shins. He sat down on one of the benches, pondering what to do when the grotesque display caught his eye. What had once been three pirates were now skeletons dangling in the breeze, bony joints clacking and torn rags fluttering. Gibbs hadn't been wrong about Port Royal being less than hospitable towards pirates. With a flourish only he could pull off, he took his hat off his head and placed it over his heart as a sign of respect. With the small salute from the captain, the sinking boat sailed by and into the port.  
  
By the time Jack neared the docks, the boat had sunk to the water line and the rate of descent was even faster. Giving up on the small hope of saving the boat, he threw the bucket overboard and grasped the sail, pulling himself up to the top. Around the port, the loading and unloading of ships stopped as the men were treated to the spectacle of Jack arriving in port on top of the mast and no actual boat in sight. Jack enjoyed the attention, standing with his chin in the air and an air of authority about him. He felt like a captain aboard the Pearl again, just having commanded his crew to make way. If he concentrated on that feeling hard enough, he thought he could forget that he was actually coming into the port on a tiny boat sinking beneath the ocean along with his dignity.  
  
Will pulled himself up on the dock, yanking off his soaking wet coat and dropping it onto the deck. He grabbed a handful of hair and squeezed, watching the water drizzling down onto the deck. An eyebrow raised as he saw Jack standing on top of the mast above the sinking boat. So much for them trying not to attract attention to themselves. One man swimming into port and the other one arriving on top of his boat. But despite having to swim to shore, he couldn't find it within himself to be mad at the pirate. Jack had taught him a lot of things over the years and most of those learning experiences had been trial by fire. But he was still alive and had all his body parts, so he assumed Jack was doing something right.  
  
With a confident ease, Jack stepped off the mast onto the deck and strolled past the soaking wet pirate. "See, I told you you'd be here first." He said over his shoulder. Will looked towards the sunken boat and then back at Jack, noticing all the people watching and whispering. Most likely about how impressive his entrance had been.  
  
"Show off." He grumbled before he could stop himself. Jack chuckled and brushed by the dandified man hurrying down the dock.  
  
"Excuse me! It's a shilling to tie up at the dock and I shall need to know your name!" The dock master turned and called to Jack. Jack turned and retraced his footsteps towards the man. He'd only been on dry land for a few moments in this town and already he was annoyed with the hassle.  
  
"My friend here can give you the information you need." He pointed to Will. "He'll pay for mine when he pays his docking charges." The man glanced towards Will and then looked for a second boat.  
  
"I don't see his..." He paused his frustrated speech as he turned to find Jack missing. With an annoyed air about him, he turned back towards Will. "The price is..." A gentlemanly curse was heard as he found that the young man had gone missing as well. With a loud snap he closed his book and headed back to the podium to lay it down only to find that his coin purse had gone missing. He turned to the boy at his side. "You. Go fetch a soldier." The boy nodded and took off down the dock.


	3. Meeting Destiny

The pirates had made it through the first part of their plan, arriving in Port Royal without being thrown in jail. The only problem with that being that Jack had now lost track of Will when they had escaped from the dock master to keep from having to pay the docking charge. Jack shook the small purse in his hand, hearing the coins jingle merrily. From the sound of it, there was a goodly amount in there, and he quite happily tucked it in his sash and continued on his way.  
  
More than a few of the Port Royal citizens turned his way as he walked along the dirt road next to the docks. He did stick out of the crowd of finely dressed people, being as scruffy as he was, but he took no notice of them. Jack had been in more than enough ports to learn to ignore the higher class unless there was something to be stolen from them. Like at this moment, he was looking for a rather large object that could be stolen from the town that would benefit him. A ship that Will and himself could use to get away from the island once they'd stolen the necklace and head back to Tortuga.  
  
A ship did catch his eye. It was docked away from the commotion of the public dock and seemed to be guarded by two less than adept soldiers. He stared at it for a moment, taking in the details. He believed the ship to be a sloop, which was just what he was looking for. It would be fast and the two men could maneuver it enough to get them into the dock at Tortuga to pick up a full crew. It would do just fine for Jack's purposes and he decided that he ought to have a look at it, to learn the feel of it.  
  
The sound of his boots against the dock drew the two navy men from their conversation and they quickly got to their feet, scrambling for him. Jack watched them with an amused expression on his face thinking that if this were the best the Navy had to guard a ship like this, it would be quite easy to steal out from under their noses.  
  
"This dock is off limit to civilians." The portly soldier said, pointing his gun in Jack's direction. His partner did the same, shifting from foot to foot nervously. Jack wondered if either man had seen any kind of battle from the way they acted. Barely on alert and they seemed slightly nervous for only being put on guard over a ship. This was hardly going to be a challenge for him to observe the ship and get out of there again.  
  
"My deepest apologies." Jack muttered, clapping his hands together and nodding his head slightly. "I just came in on a ship and seemed to have lost my brother. While I was looking for him, I seemed to have stumbled upon this great ship here and thought I might have a look." He peered at them both, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Of all the ships in this bay, how come there's only a guard on this one?" He asked them, looking between the two men. The slighter guard looked towards the man beside him, unsure how to answer. In response, the man widened his eyes and gave him a discrete nudge in the ribs.  
  
"Someone has to make sure civilians don't wander down here. This ship here is the pride of the Royal Navy, faster than any ship out there." He said, lifting his chin slightly with an air of pride about him as he spoke. Jack found the whole effect quite comical and had to wait a moment before responding for fear of laughing at the man.  
  
"I've heard of a ship that might give this one here a run." He paused a moment, making sure he had the attention of both men and raised a finger. "The Black Pearl." The name was met with laughter from one of them, causing Jack to raise an eyebrow.  
  
"The Black Pearl? She's a myth and nothing more." The solider laughed again, wiping at his eyes.  
  
"But I have seen a ship with black sails." The other man said once the first had calmed himself down. His partner looked over at him and frowned. "It's a real ship."  
  
"I think you've been sleeping during your shifts again." He said, shaking his head. "It's not a real ship."  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
"You've seen this ship?"  
  
"Yes I have."  
  
"You've seen a ship that's reported to be captained by a man evil enough to be thrown from hell and a crew of the dned?" The portly soldier queried, staring at his friend with an unblinking gaze. The man had to wait a moment before responding with a smile.  
  
"No."  
  
"You liar. You just said you did!"  
  
"No I didn't. I said I saw a ship with black sails." What was once amusing was now incredibly annoying, so Jack took the opportunity to slip past them and walk down the dock further until he came to the plank leading up onto the deck of the ship. He glanced over his shoulder to see the two still arguing and headed up onto the deck. His chosen path took him up onto the quarterdeck and over to the wheel. One hand slid slowly over the polished wood, resurrecting memories of the night's spent at the wheel of the Pearl. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, he missed that ship as he would miss a woman that he truly loved. If a day such as that ever came.  
  
"Hey! You don't have permission to be aboard there." Jack made a disgusted sound deep in his throat and looked up to see the two standing on the deck below, guns pointed up at him. He watched them for a moment, making them both shift nervously again and wonder why he was looking at them in such a way. "Civilians aren't allowed."  
  
"Well, then it's all good because I'm a sailor, mate. Not a civilian." He flashed them a smile, sun catching the metal on his teeth and reflecting.  
  
"What's your name?" The portly soldier asked and added almost as an afterthought, "And your purpose? No lies." He demanded. The man beside him nodded.  
  
"No lies." He echoed, continuing to point his gun at Jack. Reluctantly, Jack let go of the wheel and took a step down towards them.  
  
"Smith, or Smithy if you like." He waved to the ship. "And it is my intention to commandeer this lovely ship, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out, and all the while leaving the Navy in the dust since I have their fastest ship." His explanation had caught them both off guard. They stared at him in silence for a moment and he could almost see the strained wheels turning in their brains as they tried to digest what he'd just said.  
  
"He said no lies!"  
  
"He might be telling the truth." Jack groaned and slapped his forehead. Of all the men stuck guarding this ship, he had to meet up with two of the most inept. Holding up his hands, he quieted them both.  
  
"Look, gentlemen, I believe I can clear up this misunderstanding..."  
  
--------------------  
  
Once he had gotten to a safe distance from the dock, Will ducked into alleyway to dry off. He kicked off his shoes and then pulled off his stockings, sticking them in the toes of the shoes. It felt good to get the cloying fabric off his feet and he wiggled his toes in the dust. The next thing he needed to do was to pull the ribbon from his hair and retie it back. The rest of his clothes were dryer than they had been, albeit a little damp, but he couldn't get undressed here or risk being thrown in jail for public exposure.  
  
The sound of violins playing caught his attention. He glanced out onto the street once more for Jack, but didn't see the pirate anywhere. A few moments to investigate the music couldn't hurt any. Picking up his shoes, he padded down the alleyway onto the next street over and found himself looking at the front of the fort. The door was wide open, inviting him in to see what treasures the place held. Cautiously he entered and followed the long walk to another entryway.  
  
Turning the corner, he found himself looking at what he believed to be a party or ceremony of some sort. Over in the corner were men playing the instruments he had heard earlier. Servants wandered the crowds with trays of food and drink while the high class of Port Royal mingled with their own kind.  
  
Will turned to head back out, but the smell of the food caught his attention. His stomach gave a light rumble, protesting the lack of food from the past few days. He rubbed it, wondering if it would be wise to venture into the place. He wouldn't blend in well, but it was more likely they would mistake him for a man of the working class instead of a pirate. Finally he made up his mind and ventured into the courtyard.  
  
More than a few people shot looks his way and turned back to whisper to their fellow partygoers. "I swear they let more and more riff raff in. Soon they'll think themselves equals." There was a flurry of light laughter and he felt the color on his cheeks deepen. Biting back a response, he snatched a glass from the tray of a passing servant and took a drink. The wine was quite good and if he was to bet, quite expensive as well.  
  
He raised the glass to take another drink when someone bumped into him from behind. A bit of the wine spilled down the front of his shirt and vest. There was another round of laughter from the same group and he shot them a withering look before turning around to see just who it was that had run into him.  
  
It was a fair-haired young woman, waving herself with a fan. "Dreadfully sorry." She said, the words almost coming out like pants. "I can be a bit of a clumsy one sometimes." Will might've had something to say, but it was lost on his tongue. She was unlike any woman he had ever seen before. He wasn't quite sure what it was about her that struck him so. Her blond hair was pulled back from her face except for a few stray strands that lay in curls around her face. Eyes that reminded him of dark chocolate gazed up at him with an amused sparkle.  
  
"It's quite alright." He managed finally, smiling back at her. "Just a bit of wine won't do damage to a shirt like this. See, it's already dry." She nodded and leaned against the wall, waving herself more.  
  
"I haven't seen you around before." She said after giving him a look over, fan faltering slightly as she caught that he wasn't wearing any shoes. "Are you new?"

Will's voice caught yet again, a moment passing before he responded. "No, I'm just visiting my brother. I'm actually a blacksmith from England." He told her. "My name is William Turner." He bowed slightly to her in respect.  
  
"Well, William, it's nice to meet you. Or bump into you as it were." She didn't curtsey in return, just continued fanning herself and Will began to wonder if something was wrong with her. "My name is Elizabeth Swann. My father is governor here."  
  
"Oh?" Will winced mentally. Of course of all the people he would meet, it would be the governor's daughter. "Well, from what I've seen in the time I've been here, he does quite a nice job." He smiled at her. She returned his smile.  
  
"I don't mean to pry, Miss Swann, but you don't look well. Perhaps you should sit down?" Will said, pointing towards the steps. In all truth she looked as if she might fall over at any moment.  
  
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I just need to get out of this stuffy place and take a walk to clear my head." She said. "But thank you for your concern." She pushed herself away from the wall and headed towards the entranceway. Will was about to follow her, offer her an arm to lean on, when the commodore of the British Navy intercepted her.  
  
The young man Elizabeth had just been talking to intrigued her. He was quite handsome and polite, although she found him strange for not wearing any shoes. There was something else about him that she liked as well, something roguish. She was hoping that he would follow her and offer to accompany her on her walk. Of course, her father and Commodore Norrington would throw a fit if they saw her walking around with one such as the lowly blacksmith, but she had stopped caring about status and such a long time ago. Port Royal had become quite boring and she wanted something to make her life more interesting.  
  
Her path was blocked by none other than Norrington, a strange look on his face. "Elizabeth, may we speak a moment?" Elizabeth nodded reluctantly, knowing that her fresh air would have to wait now. She allowed him to take her arm and lead her to a corner of the courtyard with less people in it. A part of her worried about what they would have to talk about. He wouldn't be asking her now, would he?  
  
He took her hands in his, looking down at them. "Elizabeth, today I have achieved something great in life and it has given me new perspective. I may have achieved this, but I have yet to ask the woman I wish to be my wife if she would marry me." He told her. "I've watched you grow up and you've become a fine young woman."  
  
Elizabeth's lungs were burning from the dnable corset cinched so tightly around her waist. She could barely draw in enough oxygen to keep herself conscious and now there was a ringing in her ears. But she had still managed to catch what he was saying, or implying as it were. Black spots danced in front of her eyes and she felt very dizzy, trying to will her arms to grasp out for something to steady herself. "I can't breathe."  
  
"I know, I'm having a hard time of this myself..." Norrington was cut off as Elizabeth fell forward into his arms and knocked him backwards onto the floor. "Elizabeth? Elizabeth!" His cries attracted the attention of most of the party, including Will's. Norrington laid her out on the floor, putting a hand just beneath her nose. "She's not breathing!" He called out.  
  
"Move!" Will pushed his way through the crowd until he made his way to where Norrington is. He knelt beside the other man. "Is she wearing a corset?"  
  
"What?" Norrington glared at him. "Why would you ask a question at a time such as this?"  
  
"Just answer me!"  
  
"Yes!" Governor Swann had pushed his way to the head of the crowd as well. "It was part of the dress that I gave her." His eyes went to his daughter, fearing for her life.  
  
Will pulled the knife from its sheath tucked in the back of his waistband and reached for the front of Elizabeth's dress. His wrist was caught and jerked back by Norrington, who snatched the knife from his grasp.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked angrily. "What could this help?"  
  
"Trust me on this. She's not breathing because of the bloody corset. Take the knife and cut the lacing." He said gently, trying not to make the man any angrier than he already was. Norrington hesitated a moment, weighing in on his words. He reached for the front of Elizabeth's dress, moving in front of her to give her some privacy from the on looking crowd. His fingers shook, knowing what he was doing was entirely improper but if it saved Elizabeth's life, it would be well worth it.  
  
He slid the knife down through the lacings and pulled it apart. Elizabeth suddenly came to life, coughing and gasping for air. There were sighs of relief in the crowd and Governor Swann immediately knelt down and covered his daughter with his jacket before taking her into his arms. Elizabeth sucked in deep breaths of air, holding tightly to the arm of her father's shirt.  
  
Norrington stood up, pulling Will to his feet as well and pulling him away from the scene. For a moment, Will thought he was going to be arrested, but Norrington only handed the knife back to him. "Where did you learn that?" He asked, scrutinizing him. Will maintained an innocent expression.  
  
"I've been traveling since I was young." He lied. "I've learned many things on my travels." He slid the knife back into its sheath. Norrington crossed his arms, staring at him. Will got the impression that he didn't quite believe him. The man was very intelligent, unlike most of his counterparts on the other islands with English colonies that he and Jack had been to. "I suppose I'll take this as my exit. Good day, commodore." Will said with a nod of respect. Norrington returned the nod, a look of deep thought on his face.  
  
"Wait!" Will stopped as he heard Elizabeth's voice and saw her come running towards him, coat wrapped around her shoulders tightly. Her father followed behind her, a confused expression on his face. She caught up with him, a smile appearing on her face. "I'd like it if you and your brother joined us tonight. My father is having a masquerade ball and I'd like you to come." She glanced towards Norrington, noting the less than happy expression on his face. "Both of you have my utmost gratitude for what you've done. I know that you will be there, Commodore."  
  
Will frowned slightly at what she was saying. Gibbs had told them that the ball was to take place the next night, not this night. Time had just been drastically shortened for the two pirates to refine their plan. More than ever, he needed to find Jack. "I will." He said, giving her a quick grin. "Thank you, Miss Swann. Governor Swann. Commodore..." He hadn't heard the man's name, so he quickly shut up and backed towards the entranceway.  
  
"Elizabeth, are you sure this is wise? Inviting a man of his stature to the ball?" Norrington asked, watching him go. "I'm not quite sure of it yet, but there is something off about the boy." Elizabeth gave him a look of weary patience.  
  
"He's nothing but a blacksmith, Commodore. I'm sure nothing will happen to ruin the night." She sighed, watching him go as well. She hoped he would make good on his word and come. There was so much she wanted to learn about him.  
  
Governor Swann shook his head. "He is a strange lad indeed."  
  
---------------  
  
"So I shouted for them to stop, but they laughed and shot my dog anyway." Jack finished his story by sadly shaking his head. "So we left the port and came here on one of the merchant ships."  
  
The two guards stared sadly at him. If he wasn't mistaken, the slighter man was actually crying. Jack smiled inwardly. He hadn't lost his touch or his silver tongue at that. Both men had easily taken to the lie he had been telling. "So that's my sad tale of how I ended up here in its entirety." He told them soberly.  
  
"Such a sad story." The heavier guard said quietly. They were still sitting aboard the Interceptor, as Jack had learned it was called. He was sitting on the stairway up to the quarterdeck while Murtogg and Mullroy sat on the deck in front of him.  
  
"Aye, sad it is." He glanced up as he heard the sound of bare feet against the dock. Will was running towards him, a look of urgency on his face. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got business to see to." He got up off the steps and headed down the plank to meet Will.  
  
"That poor dog." Mullroy sniffed. "Never even had a chance."  
  
"What's wrong?" Jack asked, grabbing Will by the sleeve and pulling him along.  
  
"The ball is tonight, Jack. Not tomorrow. Gibbs told us wrong." He said quietly. Jack stopped, turning to look at him.   
  
"We can work around that." Jack told him. "You have to be ready for these things to happen. We'll just have to step things up a bit." With that said, he pulled the purse from his pocket and emptied the coins into his palm. "That should be enough for us to find some nice clothes to blend in." He said. Will dug into his coat and produced two more coin purses, stolen from the partygoers back at the fort and placed them into Jack's palm. Jack smirked. "Good lad. Now all we need is to figure out a way in."  
  
Will grinned in return. "I believe I've taken care of that."


	4. A Night at the Ball

It was one of those rare, quiet nights that Joseph Ribold enjoyed so much. His tavern, the Wistful Maiden, was usually a popular spot for drinking and enjoying a good home cooked meal by the working class and the higher class who arrived in port. He was immensely proud of his tavern, working nearly twenty years to keep it respectable and well cared for, just as his father had done before him. The patrons were well behaved, content to share stories and drinks with friends. His wife could cook a meal that made men ask for her hand in marriage yet again. He glanced around the room as he dried off mugs, noting that only a few of the tables were filled tonight. He suspected it had something to do with the ball up at the governor's household.  
  
The quiet of the night was disturbed by a loud thump upstairs and was soon followed by a series of smaller thumps. He raised his eyes towards the ceiling, brow furrowing as he wondered what could possibly be going on up there. From years of practice, he could tell the noise was coming from the room that had been given to the two that had come in earlier that day. Joseph's first impression of them was that something wasn't right. They'd come in laden down with boxes of something and had asked for a room. The older gentlemen had given Joseph some pause until the younger man had explained that his uncle had been out at sea for a long time, hence his appearance. He had then politely introduced himself as Will, the older of the two being Jack. Joseph had given them the key to the last room and that was the last he had seen of either.  
  
Now the noises above his head were quite worrying. There hadn't been a fight in his tavern in eighteen years. He was immensely proud of that fact and he would be damned if he'd let these two out-of-towners ruin that reputation. The mug was down on the counter and the rag thrown over his shoulder as he made his way around the bar and towards the stairway. A few of the conversations had paused after hearing the sounds from above. Eyes followed Joseph as he disappeared upstairs.  
  
"They better not be doin' somethin' too bad or they'll have a lot more to be worried about." One of the older men drawled before taking a puff of his pipe. From around him, men muttered their agreements and went back to their food and conversations. If the two were causing trouble, they would meet Joseph's wrath and not many came away from that less than beaten. He was quite a big man, tall and built solidly. It was rumored he could take a hit without feeling the pain. The old man chuckled and took another draw on his pipe. "Luck be with them if they are making trouble."  
  
Joseph came up the stairs, taking pains to keep the floorboards from creaking. He wanted to get an idea of what was going on first before barging in. No use coming in on the wrong end of the pistol. Quietly he pressed an ear to the door, wincing as he heard another loud thump and this time a barrage of cursing followed it.  
  
"Ow! Bloody hell Jack, that hurt!"  
  
"Well if you'd done it more often, maybe it wouldn't!"  
  
"Turn around and let me do it to you, see how you like it!"  
  
"As if you could even get it through."  
  
At this point, Joseph's mind had begun forming ideas of what was just going on inside the room and not a one of them wasn't dirty in some way. He waited at the doorway, wondering what he was going to do. The only option really was to kick them out because he refused to have this in his tavern. His eye twitched as he heard another grunt of pain from the younger man and placed a hand on the doorknob, steeling himself for what he'd find inside. In his opinion, it was something completely unnatural. They could do what they wanted at sea.  
  
Gathering himself, he pushed the door open, trying to look as fearsome as possible. "What is the meaning of...this...?" He had started out strong, but the scene in front of him had made him waver. All the thoughts of what he was going to find when he opened the door disappeared, leaving him confused and slightly amused.  
  
Will was down on his stomach on the floor, Jack's knee resting in the middle of his back and keeping him pinned down. There was a large amount of Will's hair in Jack's left hand and a brush in the right. As the door flew open, both men stopped and stared up at Joseph. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence in the room, nobody moving.  
  
"Can we help you?" Jack had finally spoken up, staring at Joseph with one eyebrow raised. The giant of a man stumbled to find the right words, fidgeting with the master key in his hands.  
  
"I heard noises and thought something might be goin' on and then I came up here and heard the conversation and thought that you two were...were..." Where words couldn't describe what he wanted them to, the inappropriate hand gesture did. Jack immediately jumped back from Will and the younger man scrambled to his feet and to the other side of the room. The hair on one side of his head stuck out from where Jack had been trying to brush the snarls from it.  
  
"I'd be getting' rid of those thoughts pretty fast, mate." Jack said, waving the brush at him. "We're both partial to the lasses. Not that there's anythin' wrong with havin' it the other way either." He stared at the tavern keeper. "Look, if it'll give us our peace, my brother and I have been invited to the ball at the Governor's house and we were getting' ready. Only problem is that one refuses to wear a wig so the only other option is his hair looks presentable."  
  
"Which means it would still have to be in my head." Will grumbled quietly, but loud enough for Jack to hear and throw the brush at him. The object smacked him in the chest and hit the ground.  
  
"So, nothin's goin' on up here." Jack put a hand against the man's chest and tried to push him back towards the door, but found it was much like trying to push a tree over. He smirked and patted him on the chest. "Now, if you'd so kindly leave..." He nodded towards the door. The tavern keeper nodded, still not knowing what to think of the situation and turned around, lumbering out the door. Once he was gone, Jack slammed the door shut and locked it again. "Forgotten how nosy the common man could be in these parts." He growled before stopping to stare at Will. The younger pirate was still trying to pull the brush through his hair, cursing as he yanked. "Maybe you should've brushed it before you washed it."  
  
"Shut up Jack. Not like your hair has seen one of these in the time that I've been under your instruction." He responded. Jack decided to completely ignore the comment and instead review the plan. They'd gotten all the clothes needed, either by paying for it or when it came to the smaller objects, stealing. He much preferred his own clothes to the likes of the ones he would have to wear. Unlike his, they weren't worn in to just the way he liked it and they were so...  
  
Words escaped him as he picked up the wig he would have to wear and made a face. He reminded himself that it was for the good of the plan and threw it back down on the bed. Turning his back to Will, he began to slowly strip down and toss his clothes to the side. Will turned his back as well, giving off a triumphant 'ha!' when he had finally managed to get the knots out of his hair. They both got dressed in silence, wrinkling their noses at the extravagance of the clothing and how unnatural it felt to be dressing in such fine clothes.  
  
Jack took a deep breath, smoothing down his clothing and reminding himself that after this caper he could have as many drinks as he wanted with the money the necklace would provide. "On the count of three." He said. "One, two..." He turned to face Will at the same time the younger pirate faced him. "...three." The expressions of horror on both men's faces were comical. There were a few minutes of silence as they stared at each other before there was a knock at the door.  
  
"There's a carriage waitin' outside to take you to the manor." Joseph's voice came through the wooden door.  
  
"We'll be right down." Jack called and glanced back to Will. "Are you ready?"  
  
Will nodded. "The quicker I'm ready, the faster we can go through this plan and get out of these ridiculous clothes."  
  
--------------  
  
The plan was one of Jack's simpler ones. The idea was to arrive at the mansion and mingle with the crowd for a while, looking for the woman who would be wearing the necklace. Jack would then proceed to work his charm on the woman and slip the necklace from around her neck while Will kept watch. Once the deed was done, they'd quietly slip out the door and return to the tavern to grab their things. After that, they'd commandeer the Interceptor and head back to Tortuga for a round of celebrating.  
  
Will ran his hands over the clothing he was wearing, wondering why people felt they needed to get this dressed up. He knew he was probably biased, however, after living a good eight years of his life as a thief. When planning to make a get away, it was a good idea to be wearing something that was light and wouldn't catch on anything. The clothes he was wearing at the moment were heavy from the many layers, with decorative embroidery and brocade. It would be just as easy to catch it on something as well.  
  
Jack didn't look anymore comfortable than he did, but he seemed to be dealing with it better. Instead he was watching out the window as the carriage found it's way up the dirt path towards the house.  
  
The carriage was pulled to a stop out front and the door opened for them. Jack climbed out, straightening the wig on his head, and Will followed after him. As they approached, the doors were opened for them, leading into the foyer. From there, they were escorted to the ballroom.

The room was full of bright colors, yet the many people wearing the half masks over their eyes gave it a feeling of mystery as well. On the other side of the floor, the same musicians he had seen at the ceremony played while a few couples danced on the floor. Others wandered around, striking up discussions with old friends and business partners. Will had never felt so out of place in his life.  
  
"Excuse me, sir. How may I announce you?" Will turned to face the man standing by the doorway, hands clasped primly behind his back.  
  
"Announce me?" He asked as Jack nudged him in the ribs.  
  
"Your name." The pirate hissed at him. "Tell him your name."  
  
"Oh. William Turner and this is my brother, Jack Sp...er, Turner." The servant gave him an odd look before turning to face the crowd.  
  
"William Turner and his brother Jack Turner." He called and motioned for them to continue down the stairs. In just that short time, Will's throat had gone very dry and his hands were growing sweaty. Questions assaulted his mind. What if we're caught? What if someone recognizes us? Are we really going to be able to pull this off? They were in enemy territory, just the two of them against everyone else here. He realized that some of his fears were in vain. Being a masquerade ball, no one would recognize Jack, not the way he was dressed. If they kept to the plan, everything would turn out fine.  
  
"Will!" One of the females broke away from a group standing by the musicians and came hurrying over to him. She stopped in front of him, curtsying. "I'm so glad you could make it." It took him a moment to realize that it was Elizabeth. He bowed slightly to her, smiling.  
  
"I'm honored that you invited me." He responded, noticing that another was joining them.  
  
"Mr. Turner. I almost didn't recognize you with shoes on." Norrington greeted him with a wry grin. "A pleasure to have you here." Will noticed that he was standing close to Elizabeth, as if to say to him that he had claim over Elizabeth.  
  
Will returned the smile, trying to be polite. "Nice to see you again as well, Commodore." He caught sight of something around Elizabeth's neck and froze. Of all the women in the room to be wearing the necklace, of course it would be her. He glanced over his shoulder to try and spot Jack, but the pirate had disappeared into the crowd somewhere.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked him, putting a hand on his arm. "You seem distracted by something."  
  
"Oh. No, I'm sorry. I was looking for my brother. I wanted to introduce him to you." He shook his head. "He's always wondering off when we get to a party. Very independent, he is."  
  
The song came to an end and immediately the musicians struck up a new tune, this one livelier than the last. "Commodore, would you mind terribly if I asked Will to dance?" She asked, glancing over to Will and smiling. Norrington glanced at him as well, as if he were debating whether or not it was such a good idea.  
  
"I wouldn't mind at all." He told her finally. Elizabeth wrapped her arm through Will's and led him out to the dance floor.  
  
"So Mr. Turner, tell me more about yourself." She said as they found a spot on the dance floor. "All I have right now is a name."  
  
"I'm a blacksmith from London." He lied to her. "I came to visit my brother here and to find some work." Will wondered if he wasn't beginning to fall for Elizabeth. Thanks to Jack, lying had always come easy to him, but this time he felt guilty about it.  
  
"A blacksmith? You might find a job with Mr. Brown. Of course, he doesn't do much work anymore, prefers to drink his days and nights away. It's hard to find a good blacksmith around these parts anymore." Her attention was caught by the golden coin that had slipped loose of his shirt and was now resting out in the open. "What is this?" She asked him, touching it softly with her fingertips. He glanced down and noticed the coin, cursing himself mentally.  
  
"It was a gift from my father, before he disappeared at sea." That was the truth. Will had received it in a letter from his father. After his mother died, he had come looking for Bill Turner, only to end up finding Captain Jack Sparrow instead. Jack had told him the truth about his father, how Bill Turner had been his best friend and a good pirate, and the rumors of how he had died. Over the years, Will had come to look at Jack as a father figure, as the pirate had taught him many things over the eight years that they'd been together.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said, looking up to him. "It's interesting though. It looks as if it might be something that a pirate would wear. Not that you're a pirate." She said quickly, looking down. "My father and the commodore seem to think I have an unhealthy fascination with pirates. I would like to meet one someday, although that's not the right thing for a proper lady to say." She sighed. "I just want to meet one, even if they are unscrupulous, dirty men."  
  
Will was wondering how she would react if he told her she was dancing with one when someone cleared their throat beside them. He glanced up to see Jack standing there. The pirate's eyes flicked pointedly towards the necklace and then back to Will. Reluctantly, Will let go of Elizabeth.  
  
"Miss Swann, this is my brother Jack Turner. Jack, this is Miss Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter." Smoothly, Jack picked up Elizabeth's hand and gently kissed it. She curtsied politely in response, still looking back to Will.  
  
"Pleased to meet you." She said. "I was just talking to your brother here about..."  
  
"Pirates." Jack finished. "I could tell you many stories, Miss Swann, if you'll allow me the honor." Elizabeth glanced over to Will again. Will smiled and nodded, acting as if he understood.  
  
"I think I shall take you up on your offer, Mr. Turner." She said and allowed Jack to take her hands, resuming the dance again.  
  
------------  
  
The ship glided silently into the bay, barely distinguishable from the dark night sky behind it. Tattered black sails flapped in the night air. The men aboard the ship stared hungrily at the town ahead of them, thinking of the riches they could acquire there, but none forgot the goal that lay ahead of them either. Earlier in the day, the last coin had called out to them from this place. They were here to take that coin and anything else that they wanted.  
  
Thanks to the mutinous actions of Bootstrap Bill Turner, the crew of the Black Pearl was cursed. The moonlight revealed them in their most primal form, becoming skeletons of the men that they were. Unable to die or enjoy the pleasures that life provided them, they searched for the last coin that could end it all. Today they had finally gotten lucky and followed it here. It would not escape them again.  
  
Captain Hector Barbossa stared at the city as well, for the first time feeling hope. He lightly stroked the monkey perched on the rail before him, knowing that tonight they could finally find the last peace that would end their suffering and allow them to be free men again. Ten years they had suffered and soon it would come to an end. "Lower the anchor!" He shouted to his men. They needed no encouragement, lowering the anchor and manning the boats, rowing dutifully towards shore. A cruel smile stretched across his lips as he watched them. "Knock on their door, boys." He called out to the gunners still aboard. On the gun deck, pirates filled the cannons and aimed for the small town. Fuses were lit and they stood back, grinning gleefully as the first of the cannons went off, cannon balls raining down onto the town.  
  
-----------------  
  
All it took was one lucky cannon ball to crash into the chandelier and send the room into darkness. Women screamed and clutched at the men nearby as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Everyone suddenly wanted out of the ballroom. People were pushing and shoving each other, men dragging wives and fiancées along with them as they pressed towards the door.  
  
Jack held Elizabeth close in the chaos, finding it the perfect time to carefully undo the clasp and let the valuable necklace slip into his hand. She hardly seemed to notice, but unlike most of the other women, she wasn't panicking. Instead she was looking around, squinting in the dark as she hoped to catch a glance of her father, James, or even Will. Outside Jack could hear the cannons and paused, a smile slowly making its way across his face. "I know those guns. It's the Pearl." He drawled to himself.  
  
"What?" Elizabeth turned to face him, pulling out of his grasp. "How would you know such a thing?" She questioned him, giving him a suspicious look. Before he could answer, the screaming started. Pirates were pushing their way through the crowd, killing men and grabbing the woman. People started pushing for the windows or any place where they could escape the room.  
  
Jack spun to find a pirate rushing him, cutlass raised and screaming wordlessly at him. He easily side stepped him and brought an elbow down on the back of his neck, dropping him to the ground. Quickly he stepped on the pirate's wrist and picked up the cutlass. Elizabeth backed up, only to have another person grabbed onto her. She whirled around, ready to strike and just barely restrained herself from slapping Will across the face.  
  
"Jack, we need to leave." Will told him as Jack finished off the man who had attacked him. The pirate nodded and grabbed Will by the shirt, dragging him towards one of the open windows. Not wanting to be left behind, Elizabeth reached out and grabbed for Will in the darkness. Her hand found the golden Aztec coin around his neck.

Suddenly he felt a hard yank on the coin around his throat and turned to find Elizabeth struggling uselessly in the grasps of two pirates. The chain came loose and Elizabeth screamed for help, striking out at the pirates. Will pulled away from Jack and lunged at the one on her left, but he was stopped by a man twice his height and twice his weight in muscle alone. He easily flicked Jack and Will aside as if they were no more than small children. Will's head cracked against the wall and he slid down to the ground, unconscious. Jack got back to his feet, wielding the cutlass at the pirate.  
  
"What do you say we let the lass go..." He paused as he got a good look at the pirate, who had just stepped into a shaft of moonlight coming in through the window. The skeleton leered at him, reaching out. Jack ducked the hand, backing up.  
  
"So there is a curse." He smirked. "That's interesting." Some idiot running by slammed into him, sending Jack stumbling forward a few steps. It was enough of a distraction for the pirate, who withdrew his own sword and slammed it into Jack's face. Jack slumped to the ground next to Will, both men knocked out.  
  
Before the darkness took him completely, he saw the giant of a pirate take a glittering object from Elizabeth as she struggled against those who had her captive. He recognized it as the coin that Will had worn since he'd met him, a gift William had sent him before disappearing.  
  
"We found it on 'er." The shorter pirate said proudly. "She's probably his." The taller pirate nodded and Jack could've sworn he giggled in excitement. He recognized all three of them, members of his old crew. Bo'sun, Ragetti, and Pintel. The damned traitors.  
  
Jack fought against the coming darkness, but it soon overwhelmed him. He could hear Bo'sun order for Ragetti and Pintel to drag Elizabeth away, the young woman fighting with everything she had and calling for help.  
  
Then there was nothing.


	5. Want and Take

The first thing Jack thought when he came back to the conscious world was that he had had too much to drink again. His head pounded and he wanted nothing more than to lay there until it went away. It was with a great deal of reluctance that he sat up, reaching up to rub his head. As he did so, however, his fingers became tangled in the wig and he pulled his hand away, shaking it so that the wig would come off. After a good amount of winging it around, the wig finally came off and he glared at it with a look of disgust.

Nearby, Will finally stirred as well, raising a hand to rub his aching head. He hissed as he touched the bruise forming on his temple and jerked his hand away. Jack got to his feet, wobbling unsteadily for a moment and nearly toppling into one of the nearby tables.

"They took her!" The voice that carried through the ballroom was angry and fearful. "The pirates took my daughter and I demand something be done now!" Governor Swann shouted, waving his arms in the air. Commodore Norrington stood before him, trying to reassure the man that they'd make every effort possible to get Elizabeth back. The governor was not having any of it. He wanted Elizabeth back and he wanted her back now.

Around the ballroom, servants were checking on the bodies sprawled on the floor to find the living and unconscious. Jack noticed that there were a few bodies that they pulled off to the side and covered with the tablecloth. Hell was going to be paid for high-ranking members of society being killed in the attack. Most likely any pirate that happened to have the bad luck of being in the presence of the British Navy right now would suffer greatly. Which included him and William, standing here in the ballroom of the governor.

He reached down and grabbed Will by the collar, pulling him to his feet and heading towards the door. Will groaned, still rubbing his aching head as he walked. The pain in Jack's head had subsided to a dull roar and he knew that rum would be in order later to take care of that. He kept his head low, passing by a few of the servants who gave him strange looks as they caught sight of his hair, no longer hidden beneath the wig. Will followed along after him, keeping his complaints down to a whisper and watching out for anyone who might see fit to turn the two suspicious people in. Once out into the hallway, they made a break for the doorway. No one seemed to question them, occupied by their own troubles.

Once they were out the front door, Jack stripped off the heavy outer coat and let it slide onto the ground. He undid the first few buttons of his shirt and breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't be completely happy until he was rid of the wretched clothes, but it was a start.

The two men started off down the dirt road that led down the hill and back into town. Will turned to regard Jack as they walked, a curious expression on his face.

"So that was the Black Pearl?" He asked suddenly.

Jack nodded. "Aye, that was she. I'd recognize those cannons anywhere mate. Finest in the Caribbean." A proud smirk appeared on his face. "Soon to be mine again." He pulled the necklace out of the pocket of his breeches, holding it up in the sunlight so that the sun caught the precious stones and made it sparkle. "And now we have some incentive on our side." He tucked it back in his pocket and turned to look at Will, but found that the boy was looking at the ground. "What's wrong with you?"

"She took my medallion." Will said, glancing up at Jack. "The one my father gave to me before he died." With a shrug, he went back to looking down at the ground as they walked. "It just meant a lot to me, I guess." Jack could hear something else in his voice, something that Will was reluctant to say and he made a pretty fair guess at what it was.

"You fancy the lass, don't you?" He asked, crossing his arms. "You're startin' to fall for that Elizabeth and you want an excuse to go rescue her." There was a faint tone of disbelief in his voice.

"I do not." Will protested and clenched his fists. "I just want my medallion back." Jack stared at him, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "I do not like her."

"Then why are you gettin' so defensive about it?" Jack asked him. Will could find no answer for that and instead started walking faster, shoving his hands into the pocket of his coat. "You're walkin' a dangerous path, William. Love will get you into danger more times than naught. Think about this while you're at it: You're a pirate and she's the governor's daughter. You think he'll just pardon you so you could be happy with his daughter?" Instead of responding, Will lengthened his stride. Jack decided that he'd try to talk some sense into the boy later and became quiet.

------------------

The town was a complete mess. The bodies of the dead lay all around on the ground and Jack noticed that not a one of them was pirate. Most of the buildings had been burned in some way or another and people were cleaning up what they had left of their possessions. Children wandered the street, looking for their families and lower ranking members of the British Navy were picking up the bodies and removing them from the street.

The tavern where they had been staying was one of the buildings that was in better shape, but wasn't without it's losses. Joseph had been killed during the attack and his wife badly injured. The building was empty when Jack and Will arrived. They headed upstairs and into their room, quickly discarding the fancy clothes and getting dressed in their own, familiar clothes.

-------------

The docks were a flurry of activity as the Interceptor was loaded with supplies for the trip out to sea. A mission had been planned to retrieve the governor's daughter and to bring in the crew that had kidnapped her to be hung. Men carted food supplies and ammunition onto the ship under Norrington's watchful gaze. Although it didn't show outwardly, he was fearful for Elizabeth. If the pirates took her and made no demand for a ransom, that meant they were in it to do her some harm. He hoped that they found her before such a thing could be done.

He glanced down at the checklist in his hands, noting that they had almost all the supplies on board and would be able to make way soon. The sooner they started chasing the Black Pearl, the less time the pirates had to harm Elizabeth. She had yet to give an answer to his proposal, but it didn't make him feel any less about her.

"Sir!" He glanced up to see one of his Lieutenants running towards him. Groves, he believed the man was named. "Sir, there are two men trying to steal the Dauntless!" He said, coming to a stop beside Norrington and holding out the spyglass for him. Norrington took it and unfolded it, peering through at the Dauntless. Sure enough, there on deck were two men trying vainly to get the big ship under way. Also, not a few feet away, Gillette was standing in a lifeboat, waving his arms wildly over his head and shouting to shore.

"It's Turner and his brother." Norrington slammed the spyglass shut. "Get the Interceptor ready to make way." He told Groves, who nodded quickly and hurried towards the small ship. Norrington gave the ship one last look before heading up onto the Interceptor as well. As soon as he was aboard, Groves barked out the orders for the anchors to be pulled up and the sails raised. The men worked quickly and soon they were moving out into the bay and headed straight at the Dauntless.

Jack smirked as he saw the smaller ship heading their way. It was what he had wanted, after all. After throwing the lieutenant and his men overboard, he'd made Will put on a show of trying to get the ship underway so that they would draw attention and the commodore would be forced to bring the Interceptor over. He'd had his eye on the ship for the past two days and decided it would be the best one for their mission.

"Go." He told Will, hopping down the steps of the quarterdeck. Will let go of the line he had been playing with and they both climbed into hiding as the Interceptor approached. They waited quietly as grapples were thrown on board and planks were set between the two ships. Men stormed the Dauntless, searching for the two who had dared to try and take the ship from them. Norrington was the last on board, shouting for them to check below decks and in the captain's quarters.

Will moved out of hiding and Jack followed right behind him. The lines the younger pirate had been playing with earlier easily came undone from their knots and he handed one to Jack. He hopped up on the rail and kicked off, swinging down to the ship below. Will followed after him, but his landing was a lot less graceful than Jack's. He slipped on the deck and landed in an ungraceful heap of arms and legs. Jack shot him a warning look and nodded to the lines binding the two ships together. Will nodded and grabbed the small hatchet from his belt. As Will took care of that problem, Jack headed to the wheel and waited.

The ship was completely empty and the thought sent a shiver up Norrington's spine. If they weren't on board the Dauntless, then that meant that they were somewhere else. The only other place for them to go was...

"Back to the Interceptor!" He shouted and there was an abrupt change in direction. Men turned away from searching the decks to head back to the Interceptor, only to find that the ship had pulled out of range with another man at the wheel. Norrington felt the anger grow within him and slammed a fist down on the rail. Groves jumped and eyed him nervously.

"Sir?" He asked.

"We're going after them. Give the orders." He said. Groves nodded and quickly moved away, glad to be out of range of Norrington's wrath. There would be hell to pay later for this, that much was certain. As he watched, the man at the wheel turned and took off his hat, making a mocking salute.

"Thank you, gentlemen. You've just been gracious helpers in adding to the legend of Captain Jack Sparrow!" Jack shouted to them, enjoying the chaos taking place on board the other ship. The look on the Commodore's face was amusing as well. He looked as if he had just eaten a very sour lemon.

"Jack...Sparrow." Norrington said through grit teeth. He had heard the legends and knew more than enough to realize that there had been two pirates walking freely around Port Royal and he had done nothing about it.

"Sir, the rudder chains been disabled!" The call from the helmsman was the last straw. Norrington's shoulders slumped and he watched as the small ship grew smaller still as it headed towards the horizon.

"Groves get that rudder chain fixed. I want to leave by tonight." He said with a tone of quiet menace. "We're going to get that ship back and see that those pirates hang."

"If you don't mind me saying, sir, this wasn't your fault. Jack Sparrow has to be one of the best pirates out there and..." He realized he didn't have anything to say after that. "But I'm sure you'll catch him easily enough, sir." He said with a nod and after saluting, turned to go find someone who could fix the rudder chain.

Norrington continued to watch the ship disappearing over the horizon. "Indeed."

-----------------------

"Jack, I have an idea."

Jack glanced up from where he was tightening one of the sail lines to see Will standing over him. He gave the line one last tug and secured it before getting back to his feet, looking him in the face.

"Let's hear it." He said before turning and heading back to the wheel. Will followed after him, waiting until Jack had taken his place at the wheel to start.

"Once we take the Pearl back, we should ransom the governor's daughter back to him." He said. "Think about it, Jack. Not only would we get the Pearl back, but we'd have the necklace and the extra coin from the ransom." He looked thoughtful. "That is, if the pirates haven't done anything with her yet. But Governor Swann would be able to pay a large amount and would do so just to see his precious daughter returned."

Jack took his eyes away from the horizon and looked over to Will, studying his face. He didn't know quite what the boy's angle was. Was he really in it for the money or was he doing it to save the girl? Jack came to the conclusion that either way, he was going to get some kind of money from it. That didn't mean he liked it any better that Will had fallen for some high class girl either. He hoped that it was just a phase that Will would quickly outgrow once he got a taste of life on the sea as a real pirate, not just hopping from ship to ship chasing the Black Pearl and stealing a few purses to make do.

"You might have something." He said finally. "But making a demand for ransom is tricky. You have to figure out a way to make the deal without being shot or arrested or hung." He gave the wheel a slight tug to the right. "If you can do it, then we'll ransom Miss Swann back to her father. Ask a very high price for her though. We'll call it a fee for rescuing her and bringing her back."

Will nodded, smiling. "I can do that."

--------------

The rest of the journey to Tortuga was uneventful. The Interceptor had left the Dauntless way behind and there had been no other ship around, until Jack had guided the ship into the Tortuga harbor. From there, they took the last lifeboat and headed back to the shore. There was only one man that Jack could trust enough to get him a crew to man the Interceptor and that was Joshamee Gibbs. Granted his information last time had almost cost them the necklace, but people were entitled to be wrong. Or they could be wrong, just not very often.

The nights in Tortuga were chaos. Pistols firing, men drinking, fights breaking out, and wenches wandering around looking for a few coins to earn. Jack and Will decided that splitting up to go find Gibbs was their best chance. Jack had taken to the streets, questioning a few on the ex-Navy man's location, but he couldn't seem to get a straight answer. Most of the men he asked just slurred at him in some unrecognizable language and stumbled off.

"Jack Sparrow!" He heard the shrill voice behind him and winced, turning to face the approaching woman. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and it was even worse when it came to wenches. The hand cracked harshly across his face and for a moment he was disoriented as to just which direction he was facing. After blinking a few times, he finally focused in on the woman standing before him.

"Scarlet." He said, rubbing his cheek. She glared at him and raised a finger, shaking it in his face.

"You said I was the only wench you were with." She said, her voice shaking in anger. "And all this time, you've been with Giselle too!"

"And Mary, and Harriet, and Vera..." He trailed off as the look of fury on the woman's face grew. She raised her hand again and this time put her full weight behind it, making Jack stumble back a few paces.

"Bloody hell, lass! You're allowed to bed different men, but I'm only supposed to be with one woman?" He grumbled, backing out of her arm reach.

"Aye!" She shouted at him. "This is my profession to be with different men, but most of them stay faithful to me. Unlike you!" People were starting to stare at the two of them, and Jack figured he needed to put an end to the scene soon.

"It's my profession too!" He bellowed back at her. "Nowhere in the pirate constitution does it say anything about remaining faithful to a woman you bed." He told her and she raised her hand again. This time he caught her by the wrist. "Do that again and I'll throw you down a well." He threatened. She glared at him and yanked her hand back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Smug bastard." She growled. "Someday you'll get yours."

"Already have, love." He told her. "Speaking of, have you seen Joshamee?"

--------------------

Will pushed his way through the crowded tavern in an effort to make it to the bar. Men fell backwards in their drunken states or leaned on him. One even spilled half his mug down Will's right leg. He made a face and shoved the man aside, finally coming to the bar. Flagging down the tavern keeper, he asked if the man had seen Gibbs. Like all the rest he'd asked, they said they'd seen him around scrounging for a few coins for a drink, but not lately. He sighed and pushed away from the bar, turning to head back outside.

Instead he bumped into a woman. A smile appeared on his face as he recognized the woman who had comforted him after his first attempt at a robbery gone wrong.

"Anamaria!" As he said her name, she glanced up at him. For a few moments, she didn't seem to recognize him. Then it dawned on her who she was and she gave him a small smile in return.

"If it isn't little Will." She said. "Are you still running around with Jack Sparrow?" She inquired, gazing up at him.

He nodded. "Of course. He's been teaching me a..." His sentence was never finished as Anamaria's hand shot out and grabbed hold of his ear.

"Where is he?" She growled at him, squeezing his ear painfully. "Tell me!"

"Why should I?" Will replied obstinately and winced as her grip tightened.

"Because he and I have business to discuss. About a boat. Where is he?"

"What are you going to do to me if I don't?" He questioned and soon found out the answer as she grabbed hold of his nose and pulled his head down so that they were at eye level.

"Look, I don't have a problem with you. I need to talk to Jack and you're going to take me to him, aye?" To reinforce what she had said her grip tightened on his ear and nose.

"No, I'm not." He replied, trying to pull her hands off but couldn't get a grip with the right amount of leverage. With a growl, Anamaria dragged him out of the tavern and into the street.

"Then we'll go find him together." She said, letting go of his nose and tightening her grip on his ear. "Come on."

-----------------

Jack cocked his head to the side slight, looking down at the man sleeping. He looked so peaceful, despite the fact that his pillow was a living creature that stunk worse than anything Jack could think of. Picking up the bucket, he upturned it over the sleeping man.

Gibbs sat up, spluttering and brandishing a knife. Jack jumped back, just barely missing being caught by the blade. After a few moments, Gibbs stared up at him, blinking in shock.

"Jack?"

"Aye, it's me. I need you to do me a favor." He said, crouching down so that he was eye level with the man. "There's a drink in it for you." At the word 'drink', Gibbs snapped to attention, waiting for what Jack had to say. "I need you to find me a crew. I'm going after the Pearl."

"Now?" Gibbs said, looking wary. "Jack, you know Barbossa doesn't suffer fools. If you go in there right now, that's what you'll be."

Jack smirked. "I'm not a fool." He glanced around. "I believe I've got things going in my favor. I've got a Turner's blood and I know where the ship is headed, not to mention a fancy necklace that alone is worth quite a lot."

"But Jack, that boy..."

"Won't be harmed except maybe the prick of a finger, although he knows nothing of this yet. He'll be used as bait, negotiations, and eventually the curse breaker, but I won't let any harm come to him. Now, do you think you could find me a crew?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Gibbs stared back at him for a moment before nodding, a smile crossing his face.

"Aye. Now about that drink." Jack grinned and got back to his feet, holding a hand out to Gibbs. The man took it and pulled himself to his feet, making a vain attempt at brushing the mud off his clothes. "Where are we...?"

"Ow! Let go!" Both Jack and Gibbs turned to see Ana pulling Will down the alleyway towards them. Spotting Jack, she let go of Will, hauling back and slapping him for the third time that night.

Jack swore solidly for two minutes. "What is this, Hit Jack Night?' He muttered, glaring at her.

"You stole my boat." She said angrily, pointing a finger in his face.

"Borrowed without permission because I had intended to bring it back. But I did you one better, love, and exchanged the boat for a bigger one." He said, stretching out his arms. "That I will personally give to you once this little adventure is over." Ana stopped, frowning in confusion.

"So what you're saying is you exchanged my boat for a ship that I'll get after you're done using it?" She asked. Jack nodded.

"I'll even offer you a job on the crew until I'm done using her, honest." He raised a hand to show he would even swear on it. She fell silent, staring at the wall behind him as she pondered taking the offer. "I won't need her long. Just till I get my negotiations done." He promised.

Reluctantly she decided to take the offer. "We have an accord then." She told him, sticking out her hand. Jack grabbed her hand and shook it.

"Glad to have you aboard then." He said. "Although, even if I didn't give you a ship, it would be fair since you did steal that purse from me." The sound of another slap echoed down the alley.

"I don't think I deserved that."


	6. Past the Mutiny

Anamaria was determined to see that Jack didn't break his deal with her and ended up sharing the room with both Jack and Will. Reluctantly the gentlemen, Jack allowed her to sleep on the bed while he managed to contort himself enough to curl up in the chair off in the corner. Will, being the youngest, was given only one choice: the floor. So instead he made his way back downstairs again and curled up in the worn armchair, his arms wrapped around his knees and cutlass out in plain sight should anyone decide to mess with him.

Upstairs, neither pirate talked to each other. Jack gazed out the window to the ocean, entranced by the way the moon reflected down on the waves. He missed that view from the Pearl. He missed being on the Pearl. He could've been there right at this moment if it hadn't been for Barbossa. One hand clenched unintentionally as he thought of the bastard who had left him to die on that island. Unfortunately for the bastard, Jack's sixth sense that seemed to lead him to rum led him straight to a hidden cache and from there, to the smugglers that the cache belonged to. With a little creative ingenuity and a few trinkets he still had on him, he managed to barter himself passage to the same port they were going to.

He glanced over to see that Anamaria had fallen asleep, chest softly rising and falling. For a moment he entertained the thought of taking a look through her pockets and taking something like she had done to him, but he realized in all fairness that taking her boat probably had been revenge enough. He had, after all, sunken it at Port Royal. Instead he went back to staring at the ocean again, distant memories coming back to tantalize him.

_Jack stood on the stairs of the quarterdeck, looking at the men assembled in front of him. He hadn't called them to attention, yet here they were in the middle of the night. He gazed at all their faces and saw nothing but contempt, anger, and a slight smugness. There was no longer any fear of the captain there, no respect, which Jack knew could only mean one thing. Mutiny._

The hand of his first mate closed around his bicep and gave it a painful squeeze. Jack grit his teeth but did nothing else, his face remaining deadpan. He turned to face Barbossa with that expression on his face. "Mutiny, aye? I thought better of you than this."

Barbossa smiled at him and Jack couldn't help but compare it to the smile of a thief who has just stolen every last cent from another. He tried to pull his arm away, but Barbossa held firm and another set of hands grabbed his other arm. He turned to see Bo'sun smiling down at him, moonlight reflecting off the studs set into his skin. "That's what you were looking for, isn't it? You only needed the directions to the island and then you planned all this, didn't you?" Jack demanded loudly. "You cowardly dog!"

The resulting hit caught him off guard and sent him tumbling down the stairs to sprawl on the deck below. He hit, the air leaving his lungs for a moment and rage boiling within him. To be betrayed by his own first mate was something...something he never thought would happen to him. Ever prideful, Jack pushed himself to a sitting position and wiped a sleeve across his mouth. In the moonlight overhead, he saw the dark stain in the white fabric and looked up to see Barbossa making his descent down the stairs. He got to his feet, about to lunge when Ragetti and Pintel caught his arms and dragged him back. Other hands latched onto him, preventing him from attacking Barbossa. Their new captain.

"Stop! Stop this right now!" The voice came from the back of the crowd and suddenly pirates were being shoved out of the way as another person made their way to the front. William Turner, known as Bootstrap Bill Turner to most of them, shoved his way out of the crowd and came face to face with Barbossa. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, a fierce determined look on his face that his son would one day inherit.

"Where were you?" Barbossa asked simply. "The Bos'un called for everyone to be on decks."

"I was finishing the ledger and recording all the loot accumulated while I was gone." William responded stiffly. "As Captain _Sparrow asked me to. Now answer my question. What is all this?"_

"Watch the way you speak to me, Bill." Barbossa said darkly. "From now on, it will be captain to you." William's eyes widened slightly and he looked back to Jack, forcibly restrained by what had once been his crew.

"No...you can't do this!" He said angrily. "Jack has been good to all of us! Very few captains on the seas would give the shares he does or treat his crew with such that he does. We're also one of the more successful ships as well. What gives you the bloody right to do this?" He was nearly shouting now. Barbossa grasped the front of his shirt and pushed him backwards into the crowd. Arms snaked out to grab William, holding him tightly as well.

"Barbossa!" Jack shouted, interrupting the moment. "Leave him be! I'll take what I have coming." He hadn't seen a way out of the situation before, and now with his best friend in the mix, it was even worse. Every year, Jack allowed William a month of leave to go back to his son and lover back in England. From late night talks over bottles of rum, Jack knew that if something were to happen to William, Anna would be forced to become one of the women who worked the corner and their young son, aptly named William for his father, would be forced to beg.

William looked over to him and shook his head, but any protest was quickly stifled by Jack's look. "If that's what all of you have agreed upon, leave me on the island you have chosen with my pistol and one shot." He said, chin raised proudly. "But mark my words Barbossa, this is a mistake. The Pearl is mine." He said the last four words forcibly. "And I'll be back for her." He felt hands around his waist as he talked, slipping his pistol into his belt and a small canteen of water. Jack fought back the urge to kick whoever was behind him and allowed himself to be led over to the rail. One of the pirates gave him a forcible shove out onto the plank and he stumbled forward. Whirling around, he slammed a fist into the face of the offender and hopped to the end of the plank before any of the others could reach him.

"If I'm goin' to go, I'm goin' on me on terms, savvy?" He growled at them, steadying himself on the wobbling board. He glanced down into the churning ocean, which reminded him of ink in the darkness. He could barely make out the island in the distance, but the outline was faint enough that he could see where he was going.

He turned to face Barbossa and his old crew once more. "Mark my words, Hector. Traitors and mutineers pay in the end, when Old Scratch is playing with their souls." Nearby he could see William struggling against his captors, shouting for Jack to stop, for Barbossa to stop. For a moment he wished that William had never fallen in love with that English woman, had never had a son, so that Jack could've had a first mate he trusted instead of one that came highly recommended by some drunkard in a bar.

With as much dignity as possible, Jack stood at the end of the plank, looking off into the distance. He heard the words 'too long' uttered behind him and suddenly he went crashing into the sea. He found his way back up, coughing and spluttering. Shooting a dark glare up at the ship, he started his long swim towards the island.

"Your days are numbered, Barbossa. No one ever crosses Jack Sparrow and lives long. No one."

"Jack, you're talking in your sleep." Someone was shaking him as he slept curled up in the chair. "Come on, Jack. It's time to get up anyway." The voice was female, but muffled in the groggy pirate's mind.

"Giselle?" He opened his eyes and craned his head around to look up into the face of Anamaria. "Not Giselle. Banshee woman." He laid his head back down on his folded arms. Anamaria took the insult remarkably well and instead of slapping Jack just proceeded to kick over the chair and walk from the room. Jack muttered a few obscene curses and pulled himself to his feet, dusting off his clothes. He swiped his belt off the floor and pulled it around his waist as he left the room and headed down the stairs after her.

The tavern was usually empty at the early hours of the morning, but not today. Twenty men sat at the tables, sipping quietly from mugs and talking in hushed conversations. The conversations stopped as soon as Jack appeared. He casually walked over to where Will was leaning against one of the support poles.

"What's this?" He asked, gazing at all the men. Most of them had seen their glory days and then sold them to the highest bidder. Some looked as if they could keep over on the very spot.

"Your able bodied crew." Will said, gazing around at them with an ironic smirk on his face. Jack gave him a dark look and looked out over the motley crew as well, looking for the man who had assembled them. Gibbs saw him looking and broke away from the conversation, hurrying over to Jack.

"What do ye think, captain? Faithful hands before the mast in their day. Hard workers and fighters, the lot of them." Jack bit back any harsh responses that might have come to him and crossed his arms.

"Then it's a deceitful looking bunch." He said quietly. "We just might lose half of them at sea." Gibbs gave him a look and then grabbed his arm, pointing to one table.

"Ask any one of them." He said proudly. Jack pulled his arm loose and headed over. The men at the table immediately quit talking and snapped to attention as Jack approached. Quietly he pointed to the man with a rather colorful looking bird on his shoulder and motioned for him to stand up. He did so quickly, standing at rapt attention. "That's Mr. Cotton." Gibbs supplied from behind.

"Mr. Cotton. Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death? Mr. Cotton ! Answer man!" He bellowed. By this time, the whole tavern had gone quiet and all eyes were on him and Cotton.

"Wind in the sails!" The bird squawked, fluttering its wings.

"I wasn't askin' you." Jack said pointedly to the bird. "I was askin' him."

"Sir, he's a mute. Doesn't have a tongue." Gibbs supplied nervously. Cotton opened his mouth to demonstrate that fact, Jack making a very interesting face in response. "Parrot does most of his talking. I think he said 'yes' though." Jack gave him a look and gazed back out over the tavern. He wasn't going to find a better crew at this short notice. With a resigned sigh, he raised his hands.

"What say you all?" He asked. There was a thunderous 'aye!' Jack pointed over his shoulder. "Ships that way." There was a scraping of chairs as men scrambled to their feet and headed for the door, eager to get underway. Anamaria brought up the end of the crowd, giving Jack another dark look as she passed by.

"We're takin' her along?" Gibbs said, looking up to Jack with wide eyes. "It's bad luck to be having a woman on board." He protested.

"It'd be worse luck not to have her." Jack responded, thinking of the ways that woman would hunt him down and make his life a miserable hell if she wanted to. He didn't plan on double crossing her this time around. He turned, heading for the door of the tavern. Will fell in step beside him.

"Why is it bad luck to have a woman on board?" He asked Jack, raising an eyebrow.

Jack waved a hand. "I could tell you, but the reasons would take all day."

--------------

Water crashed up on deck, sending most of the crew sliding across the deck of the Interceptor and into the rails. Will clung tightly to the line he had been trying to tighten as he felt the ship tilt slightly under his feet and then right itself. The moment he got the chance, he lunged forward and wrapped the line around the belaying pin, pulling it as tight as he could when his hands were so slick with water. Around him, the crew got to their feet and rushed to complete tasks as well.

Gibbs had centered himself by the mast, taking deep sips of the contents of his flask. Will's gaze went up to Jack, standing on the quarterdeck with the wheel in hand. An almost insane look was on his face, made that much more crazy by the lightning flashing behind him. Will gripped the rail tightly as he headed Jack's way. He managed to get up the steps of the quarterdeck, hanging tightly to the rail.

"What are you so happy about?" He shouted as he approached the wheel. His eyes narrowed as he took in the compass. Jack had told him of it when he was a boy. Supposedly it had some kind of power to guide Jack back to the Pearl. All this time, they hadn't been just following blind stories of sightings of the Pearl, but the direction Jack's compass steered them in.

Jack's grin grew as he looked over his shoulder at Will. "We're catching up." He said simply and returned his gaze to the sea. "We're almost there."

-----------

The storm tapered off in the early morning hours, leaving the crew with a chill in their bones from damp clothing. A heavy fog had settled around them as the ship moved through the sharp rocks. Jack stared intently at the compass, the only way he was able to maneuver the dangerous rocky path into the bay of Isle de Muerta.

Will sat on the rail, holding tightly to the line and peering over into the waters. Once in a while, he could make out the mast of a submerged ship in the fog. He was so intent on his surroundings that he didn't hear Gibbs approaching.

"Puts a chill in the bones how many have been claimed by this passage." He said reverently. Will nodded solemnly, but remained quiet. Most of the crew was quiet, as if paying respects to those that had fallen before them.

Jack shut the compass in his hand and hooked it back on his belt. "Lower the anchor!" He bellowed, watching as the men suddenly scattered to go do their tasks.

"Gibbs, did Jack ever tell you how he escaped the island?" Will asked, sliding down off the rail. Gibbs shot a look in Jack's direction and took Will by the arm, crouching down.

"The way I hear of it, he wandered out into the ocean and waited, night and day. So quiet and so patient was he that all manner of sea creature came a-climbin' into his presence. Quick as he could, he grabbed a couple of sea turtles and lashed them together!" Gibbs accompanied his story with hand motions.

Will started laughing. "Lashed together a couple of sea turtles? That couldn't be true! If he was stuck on an island, what did he use for rope?"

The question gave Gibbs pause. He thought it over for a moment and came to no reasonable explanation. Suddenly the two men were aware of another presence and glanced up to see Jack hovering over them.

"With hair. From my back." He responded with an eyebrow raised. The response got even more laughter from Will and a sheepish expression crossed Gibbs' face.

"I guess we'll never know then." Will got to his feet. "Is it time?" Jack nodded, helping Gibbs to his feet.

"It's time. You know the code?" He asked Gibbs. Gibbs nodded.

"Still know it and honor it, sir." He responded and headed off to go get the crew in order. Jack glanced back to Will, who nodded.

"Let's go get your ship back."


	7. Loss of Rum

The cave was cold and dark, sending a shiver down Will's spine. As soon as he felt it, he glanced over at Jack to see if the pirate felt it as well. Apparently he hadn't, as he continued to row steadily. Will turned back around and huddled around the long pole on which the lantern sat, a slightly jealous expression on his face. He'd never expressed his thoughts on the matter before, too embarrassed to tell Jack. The pirate always seemed cool, calm, and collected. He was ready to handle any situation quickly and intelligently. Will both respected and envied him for that. While most boys grew up idoling their fathers or other prominant idols in their towns, he had grown up idoling a pirate. Part of him still wanted to deny that, his mother's teachings of propriety still stuck with him after all these years.

"You're awfully quiet back there." Jack said finally, his voice loud enough for Will to catch but low enough so that it didn't bounce of the walls of the cavern and give Barbossa's crew warning. He glanced over his shoulder, looking at the hunched back of the younger man curled around the light pole, knees up past his shoulders. Jack raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what was on his mind. The last time he was this quiet for days, he had disappeared into parts unknown and wandered back a few days later. Jack never had found out just where it was he went. He faced the rear of the small boat again, listening to the paddles dip into the water at a steady rhythm. No hurry getting to where they were going. He was still working out the basics of a plan in his head, trying to figure out how two men could stand against a crew of cursed men.

"Just thinking." Will said quietly, shifting in his seat and causing the boat to rock slightly. The lantern swung in it's hook, the creaking rather loud to the ears of both men. Once it had died down, Jack could here a faint voice in the distance. His eyes narrowed and his grip increased on the handles of the paddles. He knew Barbossa's voice and hated it with a passion. He knew Will heard it to because he could almost feel the boy's body stiffen, his breath hushed.

"Ah, so you're trying thinking instead of acting rashly this time, eh?" Jack forced himself to light heartedly reply, to try and take both their minds of the task that lay ahead for the moment. "We'll make a decent pirate out of you yet, I suppose."

"I suppose..." His voice was distant, as if he hadn't even heard what Jack said. There was obviously something more that he wasn't telling Jack. His mood was starting to irritate the pirate. He couldn't be depressed when they had such a large task ahead of them.

"You already know how to cheat, steal, lie, and charm your way out of a situation if need be." Jack continued. "And you've even started developing an obsession with treasure." He glanced back over his shoulder to see if he was right. A smirk appeared on his face as Will glanced over his shoulder, caught Jack looking, and quickly faced forward again.

"I am not obsessed with treasure." He replied, lifting the light higher. The shore was revealed not too far off, sand glinting under the light like diamonds. Jack looked thoughtful for a moment, analyzing his response. Yes, he was obsessed with treasure, although not of the gold and silver type, but he doubted that was what was on his mind at the moment.

"Not to mention developing a drive for revenge." Jack said offhandedly. That was it, what was bothering his younger counterpart. "Barbossa is mine, boy. I understand that you want him to pay for what he did to your father, but I..."

"I couldn't kill him if the opportunity presented itself." Will interrupted quietly. "I couldn't kill him in cold blood, not even to take revenge for my father." He wrung his hands around the pole, taking in a deep breath. "I know he murdered my father and marooned you and may have killed many innocent people, but I can't kill him in cold blood."

"Then you're a good man still." Jack reassured him, slipping into one of his rare, serious moments. He continued moving the oars in the rhythm he had fallen into. The voices from the cavern were growing louder. He wondered if they'd still be cheering when the curse was lifted and Jack took back what was rightfully his. Make no mistake about it, Jack would take Barbossa's life. After all, the man had been quite happy to take Jack's by leaving him on that island. The curse on his crew and him was only a small dosage of the comeuppance he would receive. When he broke the curse, they would all get their mortality back, would know what it was like to fear death again.

Jack faltered in his rowing rhythm, making the boat drift slightly. He suddenly felt very cold as he realized for the first time that Bill might not be dead. Instead he was trapped beneath the depths of the ocean, the pressure threatening to collapse in on him and would do so once the curse was lifted. Once the curse was lifted by the blood of his own son. Will was going to be the one to kill his father, not Barbossa.

"What's wrong?" Jack glanced over his shoulder at Will again, the boy peering at him through the small amount of light pouring from the lantern.

"Nothing." He said, pulling back the oars and dipping them into the water again, trying to find his rhythm. He faced towards the rear again, hiding the expression on his face. He would never tell him.

The boat hit the sandy shore and Will got out, sticking the lantern pole in the sand and pulling the boat forward onto the beach. Jack climbed out as well, making sure the pistol and sword were still firmly tucked in his belt. He nodded his head towards the small pathway, flickering light dancing on the walls from the torches within the cavern. They slowly made their way through the pathway and out behind a group of rocks, watching the scene taking place.

Jack frowned, taking in the crew standing all around the mound of treasure that stood towards the center of the cavern. Barbossa was there, holding onto the wrist of the governor's daughter and holding the knife right above. He smirked at Barbossa's mistake. It was Jack who had the key to breaking the curse and what a bargaining chip it was. Will seemed oblivious, his body tensing as if he were about to spring. Jack put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, motioning for him to wait. Will frowned but did as he was told, facing forward again. They could only watch as Barbossa drew the blade across Elizabeth's hand and slapped the coin down, forcing her to drop it. She gave him some resistance before letting it drop into the chest.

"That's not going to do it, mate..." Jack whispered with unhidden glee, watching as they began to realize that it hadn't worked. It took much of his restraint to keep from laughing when the frustrated pirate pulled out his pistol and put a new hole in Pintel.

"He shot me!"

"Aye, and too bad it didn't kill you." Jack muttered under his breath. It would've been one less person that he would've had to face. Barbossa's frustration was rising, so much that he slapped Elizabeth. Jack knew that the boy would respond negatively to that and reached out to grab his arm before he did something stupid. It was too late for that, however, as Jack grabbed air and spun around. Will was nowhere in sight, leaving him alone in their hiding place. He turned back to the scene before him again, searching over the crowd. A quarrel had broken out, making a nice distraction. His gaze paused as he saw a disturbance in the small stream that ran through the cavern.

"Bloody whelp..." Jack growled, tensing. What was he supposed to do now? When they got back to the ship, he was going to have a talk with the boy about respecting his elders. For the moment, he stayed where he was, mind quickly turning over ways that he could use this to his advantage.

Meanwhile, Will had reached Elizabeth. He climbed out of the water, kneeling next to her and lightly shaking her shoulder. A small groan escaped her lips and her eyes fluttered open. She almost shouted in surprise, but he quickly put a hand over her mouth. Her hand wrapped around his arm and a look of relief crossed her face. He removed his hand from her mouth.

"Thank God you're here." She whispered. 

"We're going to get you out of here." He whispered back, trying to move her towards the stream again. "Come with me." In his haste, his foot slipped on some of the wet coins and they fell into the water. The sound was just enough to attract Barbossa's attention. He turned, his eyes narrowing.

"Just what do you think you're doing, boy?" He snapped. "Seems we have ourselves a hero." He raised his voice. The sounds of arguing died down and the men began to climb the pile of treasure. Will put his arm protectively around Elizabeth, pulling his pistol out with the other.

"Stay where you are. No harm will come to this girl." He said firmly, barely able to keep the shaking out of his voice. His comment was met with raucous laughter.

"You can't kill us!" Barbossa laughed. "We're cursed, boy. We can't die!" The pistol faltered in Will's hand and he looked to Elizabeth, an expression of fear and failure on his face.

Jack felt his stomach clench as he watched the scene. This wasn't the way things were supposed to happen. He curled his fingers into fists, fingernails biting into the skin of his palm, wracking his brain for something to do. A diversion, at the least.

His gaze settled on an opening in the cavern wall not too far away. It wasn't the one they had come in and probably led farther into the cave. After a few moments debate, he stood up and hopped over the rocks, landing nosily among the coins and other golden treasures.

"Barbossa!" He called, his voice echoing through the cavern. The laughter stopped, men turning towards the voice. Barbossa turned as well and paused, a frown crossing his face. It wasn't possible.

"You..." He growled. "How did you...never mind. Finish him off, boys!" He snarled, waving at Jack. The order was like releasing blood thirsty dogs after a lone rabbit. The pirates scrambled down the hill towards Jack, a few staying behind to deal with Will and Elizabeth.

Jack took the mass pouring towards him quite well. "You'll have to catch me first!" He yelled mockingly at Barbossa and turned, sprinting towards the entrance of the dark pathway. The pirates rushed after him, howling and shouting curses in his direction, waving cutlasses and aiming pistols. Pistol shot hit the rock around his head as he made it through the entryway and into the dark.

Barbossa watched until they were out of sight before turning back. "Now what to do with you..." He trailed off, looking at the small, sheepish crew that had stayed with him. "Where are they?"

"Took off sir." Ragetti said quietly, backing away so that it wouldn't be he who would be on the receiving end of the captain's anger. The other men backed away as well, out of reach. Barbossa glared down at the spot where the young man had been and slowly moved his gaze forward to yet another of the openings into the cavern.

"Follow them." He said in a cold voice, looking back at the crew. When they didn't move, his temper flared. "Did you not hear me? I told you to follow them!" He shouted. The reaction was immediate this time. They scrambled down the hill and jumped into the stream to cross. Barbossa stayed on top of the hill for a moment, rubbing his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. An image of the young man flashed in front of his eyes.

"We sent you to the depths..." He muttered to himself. "How can it be that you're..." A look of understanding crossed his face and he turned to face his men, who were just about to disappear out of his sight into the dark pathway. "I want the boy brought back alive." He called to them, a deadly smile crossing his face.

"We're going to need Bootstrap's son to break the curse."

-------------

"They've been in there a long time." Gibbs muttered quietly. The only person to hear him was Anamaria, standing by his side and rubbing her arms. It really wasn't cold out now that the sun had risen high in the sky, but just being in the lagoon of the famed Isle de Muerta was giving her goosebumps. It seemed as if the cheerfulness of the sun didn't reach the ship, cut off by something unseen on the island. She turned to gaze at him, her expression unreadable. Gibbs turned to look at her as well. For a moment, they were quiet before turning back to look at the entrance of the cave.

"We have three choices." She said finally, placing her hands on the rail. "We follow the code and leave him behind before Barbossa and his crew come out and kill us in the same way they killed those two. Our second choice would be to keep waiting anyway and hope Jack has won. Our last choice would be to send someone in to see what's keeping them so long." She took a deep breath. "Each choice involves a lot of risk, but we wouldn't be pirates if we didn't take the risks, would we?"

For a moment, Gibbs smiled at the question, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. "By all rights, we should be obeying the code. What do we owe Jack in a way of speaking?" He leaned against the rail and glanced over his shoulder to where the crew was busying themselves with random tasks or had disappeared below decks to rifle through the Navy's supplies and take anything they found of value.

Anamaria was silent, still staring at the gaping maw of the cave and the darkness within. For a moment, she returned to her childhood where her grandmother would take Anamaria on her lap and tell her stories of ghosts and goblins, fairies and elves, all the mystical wonders of the world. She remembered in particular the one about the troll that lived in the cave and would eat the curious children that had wandered in. A boy in her village had been found dead in a cave and she had refused to come out for days, afraid that the troll would get her too, until her grandmother had laughed and assured the young girl that it was nothing more than a story.

Her fingers dug into the railing and she bit her lip. Gibbs was right. What really did they owe Jack? She knew an answer to that but it was one she could never voice. Instead she turned towards Gibbs again, a determined expression on her face. "I'm taking a boat into the caves." She told him. "Code be damned. We're pirates. We break the rules." She saw the look on her face and quickly made a cover for herself. "I'm going in because we want Jack to win. If Barbossa does, then there will be no place for any other pirate crew on these seas. He'll make sure of that." Gibbs didn't seem entirely convinced of that but he called for a few of the crew to lower one of the boats anyway.

Anamaria gathered her pistol and borrowed a sword from one of the crew, not wanting to go in there with not but a shot to keep her safe. She climbed down into the boat and picked up the oars, preparing to push away from the ship and row towards the mouth of the cave. Suddenly the boat shifted violently beneath her and she turned away from watching the mouth of the cave to see Gibbs sitting in the other end of the boat, unscrewing the cap of the flask and taking a long drink. She raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but smile.

He caught her look, quickly screwing the cap back on the flask and giving her a dark look. "We all have our reasons." He said. "Jack's been nothin' but a kind friend to me even if he did nearly drown me in a pig pit." He muttered. "What I'm trying to say is I'm comin' with you whether you like it or not." Anamaria laughed, almost relieved she wasn't going in alone.

"Did you honestly think I was going to say no?"

--------

"Bloody."

_Stomp._

"Stupid."

_Stomp stomp._

"Whelp!"

The third word of his outraged diatribe came out a little louder than he expected and echoed through the dark tunnel. Not that he cared at the moment. It was most likely that Barbossa's crew was just as lost in the passages as he was. The pirate scowled at the darkness ahead of him and paused, listening for any voices. There was a faint murmuring somewhere off to his right. He was hoping that a small group would come his way so he could grab a torch and run, but so far his luck wouldn't even seem to let him have that. Instead he thrust his hands out to his sides, feeling for the walls again. Between shuffling his feet and feeling for the walls, he'd managed not to fall down at least two rather large holes and off the side of a ledge.

In the time that had passed, he'd come up with a reasonable amount of ways he could get back at the lad for his stupidity. Horrible, humiliating ways for forcing Jack to come to his rescue and then spend a good amount of time wandering around blindly in a cave passageway with the enemy on his tail. There was only one way he would forgive him and that would be if he were to get Jack's beloved Pearl back, but he didn't see THAT happening any time soon.

He paused in the dark of the tunnel, going eerily still as he heard a new noise. The light patter of feet against the ground and the harsh intake of breath. It was growing louder.

And heading straight for him.

Jack grunted as whatever it was slammed into him, sending him sprawling backwards onto the hard packed floor. It landed on top of him, knocking the wind from his lungs and leaving him gasping on the floor for air. As he dragged breaths back in, he tried to push whoever had fallen on top of him off. On his second attempt, he put his hands on the person's chest and shoved. A hand whipped down and smacked him across the face, although this slap was near his eye, the slapper unable to see in the darkness.

"Pirate." Jack recognized the voice of the governor's daughter immediately. He removed his hands from her chest immediately and laid back against the sand. She hadn't got off of him quite yet so he couldn't go anywhere.

"Miss Swann." He said by way of greeting. Suddenly Elizabeth's hand was on his face, feeling around. Jack swatted her hand away, and getting sick of waiting for her to move off of him, shoved her off and got to his feet, dusting himself off.

"Mr. Turner? Jack Turner?" Elizabeth had gotten up as well, a note of hope in her voice. "I'm so glad to see someone familiar!" There was a moment of silence as it clicked in her brain. "And may I ask just what you're doing here?" Her tone had become suspicious and Jack could almost see her standing there, hands planted on her hips in that ridiculously overdone dress Barbossa had most likely given her.

"You had it right the first time, Miss Swann." He wished he could've seen her voice in that moment. "I'm a bloody pirate." He could see the faint outline of her body tense, knowing she was debating if she should keep running or stay as Jack didn't seem to be part of Barbossa's crew nor did he seem to wish harm to her. "I'm not one of them before you think of doing something stupid." He told her and started down the passage again, arms out to his side.

Elizabeth watched him disappearing for a moment before she rushed forward and curled her fingers into his belt. He may have been a blasted pirate, but right now he didn't seem intent on harming her, nor did he seem to have any love or loyalty for Barbossa, so she followed him. Her choices in the matter were very few as it were and she didn't wish to be left behind. If she was going to be lost and miserable, she wouldn't be alone in doing it.

"Where's the boy?" Jack glanced over his shoulder at her. She glanced back to him, fingers still clutching tightly at his belt.

"I-I don't know." She told him finally. "We ran into the passageway and were separated." Now it was her turn to ask a question. "Is he truly your brother?" She asked him, peering at his face, eyes narrowing slightly.

Jack shook his head. "No brother of mine would act as William does." He said with a smirk on his face. "To answer your question, we are not. More of a father to the boy than anything else, if you could call it that."

"So he is a pirate as well..." Was that dismay that Jack heard in her voice? He believed it was. The lovely Miss Swann had thought she had fallen for a simple blacksmith and found him to be a scallywag instead. Now all she needed was to find out that he was quite smitten with her as well.

"Aye, he's a pirate or close enough. Found the boy when he was not but a whelp and he's been with me ever since." He turned to face her. Elizabeth forgot to let go of his belt and was swung around. She quickly let go as Jack turned to look at her again. "He's taken quite a liking to you, Elizabeth."

"It's Miss Swann." She replied haughtily, but made no comment on what else Jack had said. Instead, she reached forward and started searching around his belt. Jack stared at her in the darkness.

"What are you doing?" He said, grabbing at her hands. She slapped his hands away in response but that never stopped him. The eventual result was a hand slapping war as the two fought. Suddenly Elizabeth cried out in victory and held up his flask. Jack snatched at it and she pulled back from him.

"I'll ask you again. What are you doing?" Jack growled as Elizabeth got down on her hands and knees, feeling along the floor for something.

"I just nearly tripped over it earlier..." Elizabeth said thoughtfully. Jack heard a clacking sound, one eyebrow raising. The next sound was a loud rip. A moment later, he heard the horrifying sound of liquid being spilled out.

"No! What are you doing? Not good!" He waved his hands in the darkness, forgetting that she couldn't see him and stumbled towards her, trying to feel her out. Instead he walked right past her, the toe of his boot hitting the empty flask. He snatched it up and tilted it downwards over his mouth. Not a single drop came out.

Why is all the rum gone?" He forgot about being quiet for the moment at the expense of showing just how outraged he was that she had committed this crime. His raised voice didn't seem to bother her any, or at least not that she could tell.

There was a sigh somewhere in the darkness. "One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels." Her voice grew heated. "Two, rum burns well and could provide us with light."

Jack was silent for a moment before giving a response to that explanation. "But why is all the rum gone?" His answer was a frustrated sigh and a few other sounds he couldn't identify. Suddenly a fire sprang into existence, illuminating their surroundings slightly.

"Come along." She said and turned, heading down the passageway again. Jack stared at her for a moment before pulling out his pistol. Ransom be damned, this woman was getting on his nerves. As he pointed it at her, however, he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger as the little voice in his head reminded him that the shot was for Barbossa and Barbossa only.

He tucked it back into his belt angrily and started after her.

-----------

The voices never seemed to fade behind him. Will didn't know how long he had been running, but he was exhausted. Knees threatened to give way and spill him onto the ground as he stumbled along. His breath came out in ragged gasps as he fought to keep going and draw more air in. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and fell forward onto his knees, leaning up against the wall. It felt cold beneath his cheek, comforting.

He wondered where Jack was right now. He hadn't meant to do this but had acted on impulse rather than thinking. Just like the heroes in the stories in the books he would read back when he was a young boy in England. He felt a stab of pain in his heart, thinking about his mother. She'd done so much just to see that he had gotten a proper education, clothes on his back, and food to eat and he repaid her this way. Becoming a pirate. No, not a pirate. Jack was a pirate. He was no more than a lowly thief.

Now where was the self pity coming from? He closed his eyes and shook his head. If he went by the theory that he had failed his mother, then he could argue he'd made his father proud. Neither one seemed to make much sense and he passed it off as his tired mind leaping to conclusions that made no sense.

Finding a hand hold, he pulled himself to his feet. He was still unsteady, knees shaking, but his breathing had returned to normal. The voices had grown even louder in the time that he had been sitting. He could even distinguish words now.

"Have you found them?"

"No sign of the boy or the girl." There was the sharp sound of flesh hitting against flesh.

"Then don't stop until you've found them." Will's heart sped up in his chest, although this time it wasn't from running. Elizabeth was still out there! He had to find both Jack and her now. He winced at that thought. Jack would surely teach him a lesson after this whole incident was done and he shuddered to think what punishment he would be handed. Last time he'd made Jack angry, the pirate had not hesitated to make him eat on the floor of a crowded tavern like a dog. His face flushed red at the memory and he started to run along the passageway again. Whatever the punishment would be, he would take it if it meant they were out of this situation. He glanced over his shoulder to see the light hitting the wall. They had been closer than he'd thought.

He never saw the light on the wall in front of him. He slammed into another person and fell backwards, hitting the ground. Slowly he glanced up to see the leering pirate over him, pistol trained on an unseen target on his forehead. "I've found him!" The pirate shouted gleefully. "I've found the whelp."

Will's lips curled into a snarl at the word 'whelp.' He hated it with a passion. Jack very seldom used it and only when he was furious with the young thief, but even then he was quite aware of how degraded it made him feel. He fought the urge to push himself to his feet and slam a fist into that grin, but not at the risk of a pistol shot in the forehead. Instead he laid there, hearing more footsteps and seeing the pirates come around the bend.

He closed his eyes tightly, swallowing, feeling like a child that had failed his father.

"I'm sorry, Jack."


	8. Battle for the Pearl

When Elizabeth was younger, her mother had told her stories every night before bed. Stories of adventures, treasures, and exotic places that seemed so far away they couldn't be real. She waited each night to hear the story, for the gallant hero to come rescue his fair maiden from the clutches of the enemy. Her favorite stories had always been the ones with pirates though. Even as she grew into a young woman and no longer received the bed time stories, instead having to sit through long lectures of propriety and the pompous discussions of those who approached her at balls, she would imagine her hero coming to rescue her. A small smile touched her lips as she remembered how she would picture him as a handsome rogue pirate with a good heart.

To be perfectly honest, she had thought Jack and Will to be a little off the first time she had met each one. Will had been so polite to her, his concern resting on her and not with himself. Jack had been more than willing to recount to her the stories of pirates on the Spanish Main where other men would laugh her off and tell her that she shouldn't be concerning herself with such things. Neither one was at all like the high society men she was so used to and she liked it that way.

"You never told me your real name." Elizabeth said as they marched along the passageway. Jack had been quiet for some time now and she suspected that it had to do with the fact that she had used up his rum supply. Hardly a thing to be angry about, yet there he was pouting like a little boy. The silence had become almost overwhelming, so she decided to make conversation.

"Captain Jack Sparrow." He responded after a few moments of silence, debating on whether or not to talk to the rum burner. Elizabeth stopped and stared at him, making the light stop moving as well. Jack paused and glanced back at her. "What?"

"The Jack Sparrow?" She asked in a hushed voice, remembering the few tales she had heard. "You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot." She breathed. Jack looked a little more relaxed under the sudden onslaught of praise.

"Aye, that's me." He responded. "Can we keep moving before Barbossa's crew finally catches up and puts an end to us all?" He waved a hand at the darkness behind them. Elizabeth nodded and quickly started walking again, still in awe that she was in the presence of one of the most famous pirates in the Caribbean. As soon as that thought passed, however, a new one took it's place and her suspicion rose.

"Captain Sparrow, if you're a pirate, then what were you doing in Port Royal?" She stopped again, forcing Jack to stop as well. "Why didn't anyone see your ship for that matter?" Jack turned to face her, an irritated expression on his face.

"Look, the quick of it is that Captain Barbossa stole my ship." Jack told her, moving so that they were face to face. "Mutinied me on an island to die after taking the bearings of how to find this little old island that we're lost on." He pointed downwards. "So I needed a little bit of a bargaining chip and who could argue with one of the most valuable treasures known." He slipped the necklace out of the pouch at his waist. Elizabeth's first reaction was to slap him.

"You stole that from me?" Elizabeth growled angrily, pointing at him unintentionally with the torch. Jack had to hop backwards to avoid the flame.

"Pirate." He responded. "And I'd do anything to get the Pearl back." In one fluid motion, he snatched the torch from her. "Now, are you coming or are you going to stand there and stare angrily at me?" He asked before turning on his heel and marching down the passageway. Elizabeth growled deep in her throat and followed after him.

"What's so important about a ship anyways? If you can steal my necklace, you can steal another ship for your purposes." Elizabeth muttered. Jack held up a finger.

"The Pearl is not just any ship, love. It's freedom, it's an old friend, and its a lover. I've been with that ship so many years that I would trust her at anytime over another man. She never lies to me and takes me where I want to be, away from the constricting rule of society. She's not just some ship, as you put it. She's a lot more than that. It's hard to explain." She noticed how Jack's voice became serious as he talked about the Pearl. She couldn't think of a response to make to that statement and let it linger in the silence between them. They walked on quietly for a while.

Once again, the silence grew overpowering and Elizabeth felt compelled to break it. "We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me..." Jack stopped and turned to look at her.

"Where did you learn that?" He asked her. She glanced at him once before looking down at the ground.

"I made it up." She said quietly. "When I was a young girl." Jack stared at her for a moment longer, a calculating expression on his face.

"Is there more to it?" Elizabeth nodded. "Teach me."

------------

A while later, Jack and Elizabeth had forgotten the grievances they had against each other and were linked arm and arm, singing 'A Pirates Life for Me' and swaying to the music. It was the most lighthearted either one had felt in days and it felt great. So it was no surprise when Jack accidentally stepped off the ledge and fell into the water below, taking Elizabeth with him. They both emerged, sputtering and wiping the wet hair from their faces.

"I think I know where we are..." Jack said hesitantly as he glanced around. It had gone dark again as the torch had died in the water, but there was still a reasonable amount of light shed from onwards down the cavern. Jack swam to the edge of the rock where the waterway turned the corner and glanced around, a grin appearing on his face as he saw the boats pulled up on shore. He motioned for Elizabeth to follow him and swam for the boats. She paused for a moment before following after.

Jack scrambled up on shore and quickly darted between the boats, grabbing the oars and throwing them into the boat that he and Will had rowed into the cavern in. He motioned for Elizabeth to get in, but she paused.

"What about Will?" She asked quietly.

"We're goin' to need more men. I've got a crew waiting outside." Jack hissed at her. "Now get in." Elizabeth looked reluctantly at the boat for a moment before finally getting in. Jack pushed the boat away from shore and got in, picking up the oars and starting the all too familiar rowing rhythm from before.

Elizabeth quietly clung to the pole that held the lantern, staring at the slowly disappearing shore. "How can you just leave him there?" She asked quietly.

"I'm not leaving him there." Jack snapped over his shoulder at her. "I'm not bloody stupid enough to go after him against Barbossa's bloody crew all by me onesies either." He turned back around, listening to the fall and the rise of the paddles in the water. "He's probably still just as lost as we were anyways. That gives us time." 

Elizabeth fell quiet again and this time stayed quiet as they continued on. The only other conversation came from when Jack announced that he saw the mouth of the cave and that it was night. She wondered briefly how much time had gone by since she had been kidnapped. It seemed like weeks, but couldn't be more than a few days at most.

"Jack, I..." Anything Elizabeth was about to say was lost as they came out into the open. There was a series of clicks and Jack glanced around to see that he was surrounded on both sides. In front of him, the Dauntless was sitting beside the Interceptor. Soldiers trained their rifles at him, crouching on the rocks. On his right, Commodore Norrington stood behind his men, a small smile on his face.

"Good evening, Captain Sparrow." He said and nodded politely to Elizabeth. "We've been extremely worried about you, Miss Swann. Your father will be quite happy to hear that you're safe. Men, see that Captain Sparrow is shackled and taken to the Dauntless."

"Wait!" Jack stood up in the boat, nearly sending him and Elizabeth into the water. "Commodore, I think we may be able to work out a deal here." He protested. Elizabeth glanced up at him, a small frown on her face, wondering just what it was the pirate was up to now.

"A deal?" Norrington raised an eyebrow. "I don't make deals with the likes of your kind, Sparrow." He said and turned to head back down to his boat as a few of the soldiers clambered down to their own to head out to Jack and Elizabeth's boat.

"First of all, it's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow. Second of all, not even if it means capturing the crew that attacked Port Royal?" Jack called loudly to him. Norrington paused, his back to Jack. He stayed there for a moment before glancing over his shoulder to Jack.

-----------------------

In the dark, it was hard to see who had shoved him this time. He thought he'd been prepared for it, but instead he stumbled forward and hit the dirt on his knees. A foot came through the darkness and made contact with his ribs. The air left him in a hurry and he curled up in a ball to protect his stomach from another attack.

"What do ya think you're doing?" In the dim light given off by the torch, Will saw the skinny pirate step up, wooden eye moving uselessly in the eye socket. The fire also illuminated the few others in the group, giving him a good look at who he was up against. Too many to fight back. He instead stayed down, focusing on trying to find a way out.

"He said he was to be brought back alive, not unharmed." Pintel hissed at Ragetti, a vicious gleam in his eyes. "We could say he tried to run and we had to teach him a lesson." He glanced down at Will. "Got a problem with this one."

"Because of Bootstrap?" Will's breath caught in his throat at the mention of his father.

"Aye, because of Bootstrap." A rough hand curled in Will's hair and yanked him to his feet with a sharp tug. He pushed himself up as quickly as he could to avoid hair being ripped from his scalp. "Because of your father, boy." He nearly spit the word at the young thief. "Sent a piece of that cursed treasure to you and left us all cursed. Then again, we didn't find out we needed his blood to lift the curse until after." There was a moment of silence behind him, the pirates digesting this bit of ironic information.

"That's not it at all." Pintel's grip tightened in Will's hair as he spoke. "Perhaps you're just jealous because my father was a better man than you." He smiled slightly. "Because you aren't half the man he was."

"Shut him up." One of the other pirates groaned. "We don't need to be hearin' him blatherin' on about bein' a good man." Someone's hand lashed out and made contact with his cheek, the force behind the blow enough to make his head turn.

"Enough!" At the sound of the bosun's deep voice, the pirates froze in a mixture of fear and respect for authority. "We take him back to Barbossa so we can be rid of this curse." The bosun grabbed Will's arm, dragging him down the corridor again. There was a slight murmuring of the pirates behind him, but they soon followed after, the pathway echoing with their voices making plans for what they would do when the curse was lifted.

------------

It had been Cotton who had first spotted the Navy ship. He'd ran down from the quarterdeck, waving his arms as his parrot squawked away on his shoulder. When Marty had found a good position on the rail and sighted the ship through the spyscope, it was still just barely visible in the fog. Enough time for them to make one last plan.

It was simple enough. There was a code to follow. Anyone who fell behind was left behind. They'd waited long enough for Jack, Will, Gibbs, and Anamaria. Taking the remaining boats, they'd paddled across the bay, leaving the empty ship for the Navy to find. However, they were quite surprised to find another bay parallel to the one they'd been in. There was a ship in the bay, and not just any ship.

The Pearl.

--------------

He was going to die, throat torn open and bleeding on cursed gold. Before him, men stared, nearly drooling in their lust to be freed of the curse. Barbossa stared at him, a cruel, calculating look on his face, the knife in his hand glinting in the torch light. He nodded slightly to the man behind Will, who forced the thief's head down over the chest and presented his neck as a clean target. He couldn't struggled. Even if he knocked his captor away, there would still be Barbossa to face and the rest of the crew who wouldn't be sated until his life blood was spilled on that damn gold.

The cold blade pressed against his throat and he couldn't help but swallow. He closed his eyes and forced himself to think back. If he was going to die now, he'd die remembering the better part of his life. Spending time with his father when he was younger, traveling with Jack, and meeting Elizabeth. It was a pity he wouldn't be able to get to truly know her.

His chin raised as much as his captor would allow it. He wasn't going out without his pride. He hoped it would've been old age or dying in a battle, but as long as he had his pride. The blade moved again and he was ready...

"Wait! Stop! Hold on a second!" Eyes opened wide in shock as he recognized that voice. It wasn't possible for both eyes and ears to deceive him. Jack was pushing his way through the crowd, waving his arms. "You don't want to be doin' that, mate."

An irritated look replaced the murderous one on Barbossa's face. "And tell me why I don't want to be doin' this?" The blade never moved from Will's throat, but it moved no farther either.

"You don't want to be doin' that because the navy is outside waiting for you." Jack said as he made his way to the front of the crowd and scrambled up the pile of gold. Whispers rushed through the crowd as they heard this news. Barbossa looked unsure of how to respond, until Jack grinned. "But I know how to fix that little problem."

"Oh?" Barbossa stared at him, releasing the pressure on the knife against Will's neck. His captor yanked him upright again. "Why don't you tell me this plan of yours." He stated.

Jack held up a finger. "Wait a moment, mate. I don't do these kinds of things for free." The other pirate nearly snarled in response, but kept his temper in check.

"Just what is it you want, Jack Sparrow?" He asked, trying to remain calm.

"If I do this, you'll have two new ships on your hands. Think about it, Barbossa. Your own bloody fleet!" He waved his hands in the air to emphasize the enormity of the situation. "They'll no longer call you _Captain_ Barbossa, but _Commodore_ Barbossa!" 

There was a kindling look of greed in Barbossa's eyes. "Go on."

"Take the Dauntless, pride of the Navy, for your flagship as it is the grandest of the ships. But that leaves the Pearl without a hand to guide her. Name me her Captain and I'll cut you in on ten percent and I'll fly under your colors." He grinned as he waited for Barbossa's reaction.

"Fifty. Fifty percent of your plunder." Barbossa grunted.

"Fifteen." Jack responded.

"Forty."

"Twenty five and I'll find you a wonderful hat to go with your new title. What say you to that?" He held out his hand. Barbossa stared at it for a moment before reaching out to take Jack's hand. He paused right as he was about to take it.

"What about the whelp?" He nodded towards Will.

"I'm not a whelp!" The younger man protested before Jack slapped a hand over his mouth so all that was left was muffled protesting.

"Just bleed him a little, don't kill him, allow me to take him on as a crew member." He saw the waning look in Barbossa's eyes. "Or you could just kill him. Doesn't make a difference to me either way." Jack could feel the horrified gaze resting on him, but didn't turn to face him. Instead he removed his hand.

"Is this it? Was that all I was? A bargaining chip you carried around so you could get your ship back when the time came?" Will responded angrily. Jack finally glanced over at him.

"Yeah." Jack said offhandedly. Barbossa took Jack's hand in his, shaking it firmly. Jack took it as a sign that they had reached their accord and turned to the crew before him. "All hands to the boats!"

Barbossa stood behind him, an evil smirk on his face. "What he means is take a walk!" He shouted. Jack glanced over his shoulder.

"No boats?"

"No boats." Jack turned to watch the men filter out of the cave.

"Oh bloody hell..." He stumbled down the gold pile, wanting to get away from his mutinous first mate before he killed the man. It wouldn't do him any good now and he knew he had to wait for the opportune moment, but impatience was getting the best of him.

The pirate holding Will dragged him away from the chest to make sure he didn't bleed on the coins before the battle was done. The young man's eyes never left the one he thought to be a friend, but had betrayed him in the end. Jack could feel the heated stare and prayed that Will didn't do something stupid, like try to escape.

Barbossa had made himself comfortable, watching Jack as well. "You're a hard man to figure out, Jack. Here I thought I'd done so and then you offer me this accord." His smile was cold.

Jack tossed aside the ugly statue he'd been gazing at. "Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest... Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly… stupid." Before Barbossa's crew could react, the thief had a sword and Jack had knocked two men into the water and came straight for Barbossa. He barely had time to unsheathe his own blade before Jack brought his down, metal clanging. Barbossa pushed him back, snarling.

"You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters!" He shoved Jack backwards. The pirate stumbled, but caught his balance again just in time to meet Barbossa's blade.

Will knew the timing had to be just right. He turned at the last moment and felt the cutlass slide through the ropes, the end of the blade nicking his wrist. He spun on the pirate, pushing him away and hopping up on the bigger island of treasure. Two more pirates headed for him and he let his rage loose. One fist lashed out, colliding with the cheekbone of one of his attackers and driving him away. "All right, who's bloody next?"

Jack had led Barbossa up a narrow pathway against the wall of the cave, drawing him through patches of moonlight and making it look as if he were losing ground. The final act to the play was when he managed to find an opening and jabbed the blade into Barbossa's stomach. The other pirate sighed in resignation and jammed his own into Jack's stomach.

Jack couldn't help the sound he'd made, but he hadn't expected it to feel like that. Stumbling backwards, the moonlight fell over him. His flesh melted away to reveal bones, clothing hung in tatters around him. Barbossa's mouth dropped open slightly, wondering just what had happened. Jack grinned and played the golden coin between his fingers. It was amazing what you could take when you sweet talked someone just the right way.

"Couldn't resist mate." Barbossa hissed and charged forward. Jack pulled the blade from his stomach and clocked the angry pirate on the head, sending him tumbling backwards. Unfortunately, Barbossa had gotten a good hold on Jack's ankle and sent them both tumbling back down the winding pathway onto the treasure mounds again.

Jack struggled to his feet and swung his sword. Barbossa parried the blow and dodged forward with one of his own, forcing Jack to back up. Again they went blow for blow, back and forth, each pirate standing his ground until Jack got tired of playing fair and kicked Barbossa in the shin. The pirate toppled backwards onto a pile of gold, staring up at him.

"You know, this would be easier if you just said 'I surrender'." Jack suggested. Barbossa snarled and lunged at him again. Apparently he hadn't liked that suggestion very much.

The sword whistled over Will's head and he ducked beneath it. The pirate cursed and stabbed at his stomach. Will jumped aside and it slid into the skeletal pirate that had been standing behind him. That pirate grew angry and also took a swipe at him. Will just barely dodged it before it lodged in the stomach of the first pirate. He glanced between them. "I think you two could use a little help." He said and shrugged. "Too bad you'll never get it." The two pirates looked at each other and then switched their grasps on the blades, taking hold of the hilts in their own stomachs and pulling them out, turning to stare at Will. "Right, make sure they truly are stuck next time and then taunt..." He took off running, the two pirates in heavy pursuit.

Barbossa had grown sick of fighting. With two immortals, it would get them nowhere. He maneuvered the fight so that two of his crew had a clear view of Jack's back. With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, he gave them permission to fire. It wouldn't kill him, but it would give Barbossa enough time to find something to bind him until he could. 

The two men never got the chance. One cried out as a sword went through his back, the point coming out his front. "Haven't you heard it's not nice to shoot someone in the back?" Anamaria asked sweetly in his ear before planting her foot in the small of his back and kicking him off her blade. He fell forward into the water and got to his feet. She smirked and swung the blade, neatly cutting his head from his body. The smile died, however, when the head dropped into the water and the pirate started groping for it.

An arm dropped into the water not too far from it and she turned just in time to see Gibbs being knocked to the ground by the other pirate with his stub of an arm. She lashed out with her foot again, kicking him away. Jack glanced over his shoulder for a moment, distracted. All she had time to do was nod to him before he had to turn back to Barbossa.

The pirate captain noticed the two newcomers as well. He allowed Jack to push him away, to think he had the upper hand. As soon as he had done so, Barbossa pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Anamaria, finger tightening on the trigger. Jack saw the movement as well and drew the blade across his hand, dropping the coin into his open palm.

"William!" He bellowed. The young man turned to face him as Jack pointed towards the chest. Will nodded and ran for the chest. At the last moment, the pistol changed directions. Jack moved just as Barbossa pulled the trigger, slamming into him. Will caught the golden coin as Jack pulled his pistol as well, taking aim at Barbossa. Two pistol shots rang out through the caverns. Will collapsed halfway up the mound of gold as Barbossa looked down at the bloodless hole in his chest.

"I can't die! You wasted your shot!" Barbossa said in a mocking tone, sneering at Jack. "You idiot."

"He's not an idiot." Will shouted from behind him, leaning against the chest. One hand was clasped over the wound on his leg, the other held just above the chest. He stared at Barbossa for a moment, utter hatred in his eyes before opening his hand and letting the two coins drop into the chest.

Barbossa looked down again and pulled open his coat to see red staining his shirt. A look of shock was on his face when he glanced up at Jack again. "You..." It was the only word out of his mouth before he fell backwards onto the mound, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling. Jack slowly tucked the pistol back into his sash, staring at Barbossa's body.

It was done and over with. He'd taken his revenge on the man who had taken his ship from him, turned the crew against him, sent his trusted friend to the depth, and made Jack's life a miserable hell for the past ten years. He didn't feel a moment's regret about what he'd done. He walked by the body up the hill to the chest, where Anamaria and Gibbs were fussing over the wound on Will's leg.

"It's only a flesh wound." The thief complained and tried to wave them away.

"A flesh wound? There's a hole!" Gibbs protested.

"It went through flesh, didn't it?" Will said shortly and tried to get to his feet. Immediately Jack was there, slipping an arm under his shoulder to steady him. Will glanced over at him before returning his gaze ahead again. "I thought you were really going to let him bleed me." He said.

"I wouldn't have let him bleed you. Ten years we've been traveling together, me showing you everything I know, and you think I was going to let him kill you? If that had been my plan, I wouldn't have wasted the time on you." He replied as he sat him down in the boat and climbed in. Gibbs and Anamaria climbed in after him. Jack and Gibbs picked up the oars and started rowing for the entrance. A quiet hush fell over them, no one wanting to see it broken. After a few moments, Jack finally spoke up.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" He asked.

"On the ship." Anamaria said. "We couldn't leave you just yet, so Gibbs and I came to see what your fate had been and got lost. We found the two of you just in time."

"Aye, just in time..." Jack replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Ana glanced over at him, frowning slightly.

"What is that tone for?" She asked as they approached the entrance into the cave. She jumped as she heard rifles being loaded and aimed and turned to see the Navy training their guns on them.

Jack leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "All for naught..." He said quietly.


	9. Freedom

Elizabeth couldn't sleep. Climbing out of the hammock that passed for a bed, she quietly made for the door and found her way up onto the deck. It was quiet, a sparse amount of crew keeping watch over the dark seas. The moon was beginning to sink towards the horizon, pending a new day. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the railing, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow her hair back from her face. In that moment, she realized what she was feeling.

Sadness. A legend of the Caribbean, one she had heard tales of from childhood, was sitting in a cell down below deck, awaiting the fate that would befall him at Port Royal. She didn't want him to die in the gallows. It was true that her interest in pirates had taken a hard hit after being kidnapped and almost murdered for the sake of breaking a curse, but he was different. He was Captain Jack Sparrow. She also pondered Will. He had lied to her and she wasn't sure if the feelings she felt were for him or a lie. She almost wanted to believe that the lie he had told her about his profession was the only one. She didn't want to see him die either.

Elizabeth opened her eyes again and gazed out to sea. The moon shone just enough to create silver highlights on the deceptively calm ocean. She stared off to the horizon, lost to thought. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't just staring at the horizon, but a ship! A ship with black sails, no less. Her eyes widened as she saw it. If Barbossa and his crew had been defeated, then who was in charge of the Pearl?

Jack's crew. It had to be them. When Captain Sparrow had been taken to the cell, he had almost seemed relieved when he spotted it empty. Perhaps there had been others on the ship that had escaped to the pirate ship. A small smile crept over Elizabeth's face. Jack would get his ship back tonight if it was within her power.

Quickly she spun around and ran for the companionway to down below. She tried to make sure her bare feet made barely a sound on the wooden planks, for if she was caught her plan would fail. But how to get past the guards? She pushed open the door and peeked in. As the door hinges creaked, the single guard on duty glanced towards her. Elizabeth beckoned him with her finger. He gaze his four prisoners a look and headed towards her.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Swann?" He queried. Elizabeth forced herself to look frightened.

"I believe there's someone in the cabin in which I've been staying." She said quietly. "Would you please check for me? I'd be most grateful." Her eyes widened in innocence as she looked up at him, hoping he would not protest. The soldier, young and inexperienced by the look of him, nodded and smiled slightly.

"Of course, Miss Swann." As he headed for the door, Elizabeth hooked a finger in the key loop that hung at his belt. There was a moment of panic when she almost fumbled it and buried it in the pocket of the uniform coat she was wearing. The soldier glanced back at her. She gave him the innocent expression again. "Perhaps you should come with me." He said. "I fear to leave you alone with these scoundrels." Elizabeth nodded.

"Of course." She said and when he turned back around, she slowly pulled the key ring from the pocket. Jack, who had seen the move, came slowly to the bars and reached through. With a flick of her wrist, Elizabeth tossed the keys. There was a brief sound before Jack caught it and quickly muffled it. Elizabeth hurried after the guard, leading him to the small captain's cabin that Norrington and her father had insisted she stay in while they found a place to rest among the crew. She made sure the young soldier searched every inch of the room, even the drawers to make sure nothing was missing. Part of her felt bad for deceiving him, wondering how badly he would get in trouble when his prisoners escaped.

"I truly don't think there's anything here, Miss Sw-" His words were drowned out by shouting on deck. He immediately ran for the door, pulling his rifle off his shoulder and running for the decks. Elizabeth tried to run after him, but he turned on her again. "Stay here. You shouldn't be put in danger's way." He told her and turned to run again. Elizabeth waited until he was out of sight and ran up to the decks herself. 

"Awake the guard. Fire on them!" The night watchman was trying to get the men organized and run for Norrington at the same time, but was failing miserably. The few soldiers that were on watch fumbled with their weapons, but very few shots were even fired. Elizabeth could barely hide the smile on her face as she saw the four figures silhouetted in the moonlight, making for the ship with black sails. If they arrived safely, Elizabeth was quite sure she'd be hearing the tale of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow's escape quite soon and she doubted not a man on the ship would want to hear it.

Norrington finally made it up on deck, ruffled from just being woken up. As the night watchman tried to explain what had happened, he stared over the rail with an expression of fury on his face, but also of an almost gracious defeat. Despite what he said, he considered Jack Sparrow an equal if he was truly as the tales said. It would've been an honor to catch him, but now it just gave Norrington another goal to reach. That didn't stop him from being angry, however.

"And just how did Sparrow manage to escape then?" He asked. The young guard stepped forward, looking down at his feet and stuttering.

"He got a hold of the keys, Commodore. I don't know how, but he did." He couldn't meet his superior's cold gaze.

"And why did you not stop them when they were free of the bars?"

"I wasn't there at the time. I-"

"He was making sure I was safe. I heard a noise much like breathing in my cabin and worried that someone was in there with me." Elizabeth spoke up. "So if you blame anyone, Commodore Norrington, it should be me."

"It still doesn't explain how Sparrow reached the keys."

"Perhaps they came loose from his belt?" Elizabeth suggested and nodded to the soldier. "Captain Sparrow is quite cunning and would have found some way."

Norrington clenched his fist, but for a moment said nothing. "We won't be able to catch them with this ship. Keep to the course for Port Royal. From there we will decide where to go." He said and glanced towards Elizabeth. She looked up at him, her face clear of any guilty expression. She felt no remorse for what she had done. Jack Sparrow may have been a pirate, but he was a good man.

------------------

Months had passed and still Jack Sparrow eluded the British Navy time and time again. As Elizabeth had thought it would, the story of his escape was talked about in the taverns and by children in the streets. A part of her was happy that Jack remained the most feared pirate of the Caribbean, but there was a bit of sadness within her as well. She couldn't help but remember Will. Norrington had asked her ito marry him and she had yet to give him an answer. She knew her father would expect her to marry but she could not bring herself to say yes. Maybe in time she would be able to, but not now.

Her father had thrown another costume ball to make up for the last, which had ended when the pirates attacked. Elizabeth stood off to the side, making polite conversation and listening to the dull topics that were being brought up. She wished to be up in her room, reading a book instead of here. She smiled and responded to a question that was asked of her before the conversation shifted between the two men again. Elizabeth excused herself and began to wander.

She wasn't paying attention when she bumped into another person. Quickly she turned around to face the stranger, a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry." She said, lifting the half mask from off her face and giving a small smile. "I'm afraid I wasn't looking."

"That's perfectly fine." The stranger said and bowed slightly. Elizabeth paused, feeling a sense of familiarity. The man was wearing a hat with a long feather, a black mask covering the top half of his face. She could tell who most of the people at the ball were even though they were in costume, but she did not know this person. A small smile appeared on his face as he caught her confused expression. "Miss Swann."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you? I don't believe we've..." She stopped as she finally met his gaze. "Will." She breathed and put a hand on his arm. "What are you doing here? If they find you, you'll be sent to the gallows for sure!" Her expression turned to panic. "Please! Go!"

"I couldn't." He told her. "Not until I know."

"Know what?" She asked, feeling her heart speed up.

"Do you have any feelings for me?" He asked her quietly. "If you say no, you will never hear from me again. I just wanted to hear it from you." Elizabeth smiled, looking into his eyes.

"Yes." She said. "I did have feelings for you, but I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was for a man who was a lie."

"The only lie I told you was of my profession." He told her quietly. "Else I would've been hung in a moment." He took her hand in his. "From the moment I met you, I knew you would be someone special." He told her. "I could barely bring myself to lie to you."

Elizabeth looked down. "Then yes, I did have feelings for you." She looked up at him. "And I still do."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I won't be able to stay here, you know." He told her sadly.

"But I can go with you." Elizabeth's smile grew. "Give me a moment." She turned from him, picking up her skirts and rushing towards the stairs.

Jack tapped his fingers on the wheel, impatient. Will had told him he'd be only a little while, but Jack had waited long enough. Anamaria watched him out of the corner of her eye as she busied herself by checking the lines. "He'll be back soon, Jack." She reminded him gently.

"He better be here soon." Jack said. He couldn't really bring himself to be angry about it, however. After regaining his position as captain of the Black Pearl, he'd been in a much better mood. It'd taken a while to repair the damage done by Barbossa and his crew, but he had his ship back and that was all that mattered.

"Captain, they're here!" One of the crew shouted. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"They?" He questioned but his answer was soon answered as Will appeared with Elizabeth. The crew set to work pulling the boat back onto the deck as Jack glared at Will. "You brought her along?"

"She was willing." Will protested, shrinking slightly under Jack's heated glare.

"She's the governor's daughter!"

"What does it matter? Jack, the Navy is all ready after you in full force. If Elizabeth chose to come with us, there would be no room to make things worse."

"I wrote my father a letter, saying I ran away." Elizabeth told Jack. "He'll never connect it with you." The young couple looked apprehensively at Jack.

"Fine." Jack finally growled. "Now get." Will took Elizabeth's hand, leading her off. Jack rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes. "I should've just left the boy." He muttered.

Anamaria watched the couple disappear and turned back to Jack. "They're in love. We all do stupid things when we're in love." She told him. "Yes, even you Jack Sparrow, will do something stupid when you're in love."

Jack took hold of the wheel, staring at it with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Maybe I already have." He said mysteriously and glanced up, the roguish grin on his face. "Now, let's leave this place." Anamaria nodded and turned to the crew, shouting orders for them to raise the sails.

Jack stared ahead, the smile never leaving his face. "Now, bring me that horizon."


End file.
